Virgo et Vernula
by dbanjeezeez
Summary: In the kingdom of Parvahal, James and Lily work as lowly servants for Lord Snape. Follow along as they stitch together the threads of their epic love tale, in a world full of festivals, dances, pubs, fire-eaters, markets, princes and princesses. Very AU!
1. The Dinner

Virgo et Vernula

Chapter 1: The Dinner

* * *

><p><strong>T H E<strong> streets were packed.

It was a special day in Diagon City, that was for sure. The Diagon market square, which was busy enough on a usual day, was filled with hundreds and hundreds of bodies scrambling about for a ticket; or if they'd already gotten one, they were lounging about talking to friends and loved ones, flirting shamelessly with one another, or scolding their children.

James Potter hadn't gotten his ticket yet. Impatience had been eating at him, and it showed through his folded arms and tapping feet. He'd been standing behind a big, burly man with firm muscles, whom he'd identified as Sloan the Butcher – no one quite had arms like he did. Time had ticked away for at least five minutes as the man flirted with the curly-haired lady at the booth.

_Bloody butcher_, James thought furiously. _I don't have the time for this. _

He craned his neck around to glance at the large, stone clock that hung proudly in the middle of the square. Four already? It was the middle of the summer and the sun would not set until eight, but still… Madam had ordered that he and Sirius be back by five…

Just as James turned around again, the butcher finally waved the lady off and walked away, whistling merrily to himself, a little golden ticket glinting in his fist.

"About time," James muttered, stepping forward. "Three tickets please."

The booth lady didn't give him the same dazzling smile she'd given the man before him. Rather, she looked him up and down skeptically. "Have you got the money for that?"

"Yes," he snapped, flushing slightly. "And no, I didn't steal it, if that's what you're thinking."

She raised her hands up in defense. "Sorry, kid. Just checking."

"Yeah well," James said, rolling his eyes at the word 'kid.' He had turned seventeen a couple of weeks ago. "Here's the money. Six pounds would be the price, yeah?"

She didn't answer him. Instead, she pulled the coins towards her and counted them carefully, even raising some of them to the light as if to check for any signs of deceit.

"Oh, for heaven's sake!" James said, thoroughly annoyed now. "It's real, alright? I've saved up for this since January!"

"My apologies," she said brightly as she reached down below the counter and drew out three of the golden tickets. James couldn't believe she was about to hand them to him – he'd been looking forward to this day since he was six years old. "Here you go, lad. Stay out of trouble."

"Yeah, yeah." He practically snatched the tickets out of her hand and stalked off, trying not to look too happy.

The Firebolt Festival. The very name was known throughout the whole of Parvahal. It was a special day for the whole Kingdom-a day of excitement, joy and release from the hardships of their daily lives. People frequently blessed the Oddment People for providing them with the festival, for their arrival was the reason for the festival being held.

The Oddment people were a group of entertainers that traveled the roads of Parvahal. Every year, during the summer, they would assemble and make their way towards Diagon Castle for the annual festival. People from all over the Kingdom came to see them, make a few gold coins, and enjoy themselves. Though he had never seen them for himself, James had heard that they never failed to delight.

"James! James!" A loud voice that could only belong to his best friend, Sirius Black, came from his right. "Did you get them?"

It took him a few minutes to spot exactly where Sirius was amongst the bustling crowd, but soon, Sirius' grinning face appeared before him as he squeezed his way between two giggling girls. They were eyeing him with interest, but Sirius paid them no mind. Even in the plain, brown, _very_ worn shirt, and the faded trousers he wore- almost exactly the same as the outfit that James was wearing - , he still attracted the attention of a few females.

"I did!" James felt himself grinning too. "Can you believe this? We finally get to go to the Firebolt Festival. Thank Heavens for days offs. Never mind that for now – did you get the supplies?"

"Right here," Sirius said, pulling up the heavy-looking bags he held in both hands. "Got the milk, the eggs, the funny-looking shrunken things…"

"You mean the raisins?"

"Yes those… and Sloan helped me out with the meat."

"Oh, Sloan the Butcher?" James snorted, grabbing a few bags from Sirius. They began to make their way from the center of the cobble-stone streets towards a big church with red brick walls. "The git. He just wasted about ten minutes of my time flirting with that wench of a booth-lady back there."

"He must have rushed off to get a ticket after he cut me up some veal," Sirius laughed at the mental image of Sloan running. "I tell you, he may be an ass, but he sure knows his way around a knife. Besides can you blame him? I saw that lady – she was fairly attractive."

"Exactly! She would never give Sloan the time of the day!" James cried. "Actually, you know what, scratch that. She and Sloan would make a perfect couple, seeing as they're both condescending idiots. You know, she pretty much told me she didn't think I could afford those tickets."

"Hate to break it to you, James," Sirius said as they slipped into the alley by the church, where the noise level considerably dropped, "but you kind of _can't_afford them."

"Yeah," he sniffed in reply. "But she doesn't have to _say_ it."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Get over it, mate. It's been like this for twelve years."

James glanced at him curiously. It was usually Sirius who complained about their poverty to anyone who would listen. He didn't like the clothes they wore (something that struck James as odd, seeing as it was all they could afford) he didn't like the condescending looks that were thrown their way on a daily basis, he didn't like having to save up shilling by shilling for anything he wanted, and most of all he didn't like working as one of the several servant boys at the Snape Manor.

To James, it was a familiar lifestyle he had accepted long ago, when at the age of five, his parents had died of an unknown illness. It had left him alone on the streets of Diagon, with no means of supporting himself. Yes, his parents had acquired a fair bit of wealth and land in their lifetimes, but it was not something that James could touch until he was eighteen years of age. He couldn't wait till the following summer when he could finally quit from the Manor and start his own life.

Sirius, on the other hand, had a different story. He'd run away at age five from his wealthy parents; they had never wanted a son and grew tired of him quickly, eventually deciding to send him to an aunt who lived abroad. So quite unlike James, Sirius had no brimming vault in the Diagon Bank that sat waiting for him to turn eighteen. He'd lost everything he had, and it often left him feeling bitter, unwanted and hopeless. James felt like it was his job to cheer Sirius up when he got like that. In his opinion, there wasn't a problem because as soon as he turned eighteen he was dragging Sirius with him.

Although at the present time it seemed like Sirius was in a pretty good mood. In fact, he was humming loudly to himself, swinging the bags back and forth.

"Oh, the festival is going to be fantastic," he told James happily. They both ducked under a narrow ledge and took a left turn into another alley that always smelled faintly of fish. "You reckon anything interesting is going to happen?"

"You mean like last year?" James grinned. Though they hadn't attended themselves, they'd heard a fight had broken about between two farmers – it had been a rather stupid quarrel, but it soon progressed into a full out riot that had nearly burned down the Castle. "Nah, I don't think that'll happen again anytime soon. King Cates nearly had a fit, he did. Heard he kept screaming bloody murder about his precious petunia flowers. The fool, what did he expect? He holds the festival every year in his own courtyard, and all sorts of performers attend, including _flame throwers_. He must expect that something will get burnt down every once in a while!"

"Exactly," Sirius agreed. "But really, mate, think of all the attractive birds that will be there!"

"Sirius, they're the same girls that you see in the market every day."

"Ah yes, but… remember James. This festival applies to _all_ of Parvahal, not just Diagon!" They both jumped over a little fence that was intended to keep people out a little thatched house, ducked under the clothes line quickly and dashed out the other side for fear of being caught trespassing. It was a routine they'd practiced many times, preferring to take the short way back to the Manor rather than use the bridge. "Girls from all over the kingdom will be there! Girls from Fray, Ombra, Lichen, Kansted and… you know, those other cities that no one really cares about. Oh we'll get all spiffy and good-looking – not that I'm not already good-looking, mind you – and we'll dazzle all the wealthy birds with their fancy dresses and their held up pinkys."

James laughed uproariously. "Sirius! You do know it's a _festival_, not a ball. Everyone from around the Kingdom is allowed to go, not just the rich. As long as you can buy the tickets. But I don't doubt that some of the wealthy will be lingering around under their little umbrellas," he scoffed.

They were almost at the Manor now. Before them stood a large, sturdy hedge about twenty feet high, that seemed almost impossible to penetrate. But after years of comings and goings, James had discovered a hole in the hedge that was big enough for someone his size to crawl through; it led to the back of the Manor. And though Sirius was a little bigger than he was – by just a bit – he was able to crawl in through the hole as well.

"Reckon the Princess will be there?" James asked excitedly.

Sirius rolled his eyes. He grabbed a bag from James' hand and shoved it through the hole, hoping the eggs wouldn't break. "What's your obsession with the Princess, James? Honestly."

"Have you _seen _her?" James asked, also shoving a few bags through the hole. "She's the fairest maid in the land, Princess Roselyn."

"She's also the snobbiest maid in the land," Sirius pointed out. "She always has the most condescending look on her face when you see her drive by in her pretty little carriages. Stopping the crowds on the street just so she can pass by, having someone hold an umbrella over her head – even when it's barely drizzling, glaring at people who get in her way… she's nothing more than a spoiled rich girl in my opinion."

"All that is true," said James, "but it doesn't change the fact that she's beautiful."

Sirius shook his head. "I dunno… her face is a little bit too…" he wrinkled his nose, "much. I don't see the appeal."

James merely rolled his eyes. He was familiar with his best mate's stubbornness. His question hadn't even been answered, but he knew already that Princess Roselyn was not one to attend the Firebolt Festivals. She probably _was_ too snobby – as Sirius had said – to mingle amongst the commoners of the land. It was unfortunate, as she really _was _very attractive.

A few moments later, they stood on the other side of the hedge, collecting the bags they'd tossed in first. The sun was still high in the air, and it was a shame to return to the Manor. Not that the Manor was in any way depressing or dismal. In fact it had a rather inviting look to it, what with its heartily wooden walls and the lavish flora that decorated the window sills and the front door. It was just the people who _lived_ in the Manor that made it so oppressive.

Half the size of the Royal Castle itself, the Snape Manor stood about 30 feet high with sixteen bedrooms, seven bathrooms and a grand, crystallized staircase. As the name would suggest, it belonged to Lord Snape, who resided in it with his wife and son, Severus. They were one of the richest families in Diagon, though they could not boast being the richest. The honor of that title quite obviously belonged to King and Queen Cates. Though it was traditional for every city in Parvahal to have only one lord who governed the people and reported back to the King, Diagon had at least seven lords. As the capital of the kingdom, Diagon City did not need a lord to govern it, because the King and his castle were situated there. It often caused bitterness amongst the lords of Diagon, since they did not get a share of land to rule, but the comfort and riches of Diagon were usually enough to suppress any form of rebellion and keep the lords happy.

Disgruntled at having to spend such a fine day inside, James and Sirius pushed open the heavy back door and trudged into the Manor, walking directly into the kitchens.

The kitchens were always the busiest part of the building. The entire staff – which consisted of fourteen servant boys including James and Sirius, five maids, and one Head Cook – was constantly moving in and out the kitchens, because there was always something that needed to be done. Today, there seemed to be even more people than usual. Smoke from foods being fried, boiled, or steamed hung thick in the air, but it did not faze the two boys. They had grown up with it.

"Ah you're back! About time, we've been waiting for the raisins!"

A deep, cheerful voice came from the left corner of the kitchen and James and Sirius hurried over to it. The owner was standing behind a stove, chopping carrots into a large pot; he was a large, built man, with curly black hair, which was hidden under his white chef's hat. James and Sirius lifted the bags unto the counter, grinning at him.

"But Cook," James said, "I say we made pretty good timing."

"You did say before five," Sirius pointed out.

"And would you look at that –" James added, in mock-surprise.

"It's before five!"

Cook – for that was his name – tutted, though a slight curve in his lips betrayed amusement. "Busy day today boys, no time for your games. I need you two to get to those crabs! Lord Snape has invited a few more maidens for dinner today, and we only have about an hour left to prepare."

Sirius scoffed and began emptying out the bags. "Is he still looking for a wife for Severus? Honestly, you'd think he'd have given up by now. It's pretty obvious no one would want to marry _that._"

Cook shot Sirius a warning look, but he was laughing. "Now, now Sirius. Severus is the Lord's son. He's just reached manhood and he ought to start getting himself married." He added under his breath, "Maybe if he gets married he'll leave the house a little bit more."

"Afraid to say that isn't guaranteed," James said as he shook his head. "See, his father's going about it all wrong. He invites maidens of royal descent and good blood, hoping they'll take interest to his son and marry him, when in reality… there's not one maid who would willingly marry Severus."

"Right you are," Sirius agreed. "Except… maybe Bertha. She's always whining about finding a husband to whisk her away from poverty."

"Well, Bertha's pretty desperate."

"Exactly my point."

Cook merely shook his head in amusement. It wasn't a new thing for James and Sirius to go on about Severus Snape, the heir to the Snape fortune. It wasn't a new thing for _anyone_ to go on about Severus, really… The kitchens were a safe haven, though, completely out of reach from the ears of the Snape's. In truth, it was the only rule you had to know when you lived as a servant or a maid: what was said in the kitchens, _stayed_ in the kitchens.

Nevertheless, however much Cook enjoyed the humorous company of the two boys, he had to send them packing. There was still so much to be done, so much to be cooked. On days like this, he felt like there were just not enough people working down there…

"James, get to those crabs while Sirius finishes unpacking these," he ordered while he reached into the cabinets below him to search for the salt. "About twenty will do. Don't let them run off like last time."

"Aye aye Captain," James saluted. He turned and made his way down the long kitchen, receiving a few shouts of greeting from the other servant boys. James waved back, but didn't stop to talk. They would have plenty of time to talk later. He, however, paused when he caught a glimpse of red at the sinks.

Grinning, he changed his direction.

"Lily, my angel face," James cried, sidling up to the short redhead. She was in her uniform – a blue dress and apron – and was scrubbing furiously at the plates in the sink. Her fiery red hair was tied up in a bun, but a few stubborn strands framed her tired, pretty face. "How are you?"

"Fine, thank you James," she said wearily, still scrubbing.

James frowned as he took in her unusually tired features. There were dark circles under her eyes, and her face was pale and drawn. She even had a little stain on her usually spotless white apron. "No, I mean it," he said sincerely, bending over to get a better look at her face. "How are you?"

"I said I'm fine," she replied with stubborn determination, never meeting his eye.

"You look awful," he pressed.

"Wow, thanks. Don't lay it on too thick, would you?"

"I'm serious Lily, you look really tired."

"Well, I haven't been getting much sleep," she replied easily, though the casual nature of her tone didn't fool him.

"Why not?"

"No reason."

"Lily."

Finally, she sighed and reluctantly paused in her washing. With a flick, the soap suds on her hands flew into the sink before she turned around to face James.

"Did you get your tickets?" she asked carefully, wiping her hands on the front of her apron.

James raised an eyebrow. "I see you're trying to change the subject."

"I see it's not working," Lily smiled.

"Subtlety has never been your strong point, angel."

"It's an art that I doubt I will ever perfect."

"That much," James said, "is obvious."

Lily just smiled and turned back to her dishes. James looked at her for a moment before leaning his back against the edge of the sink and continuing.

"I did get the tickets. I can't wait to tell Remus about them. You haven't seen him, have you? He's not in the kitchens."

"He's attending to the guest rooms," Lily replied crossly. "Apparently, some of those wenches – excuse my language – some of those _maidens_ will be staying for a couple of weeks at the least. I don't see why they should. They've obviously got their own homes. I just can't wait till Severus gets bloody married already, so we can be done with this whole ordeal."

"Language, Lily," James teased, although it didn't bother him. In fact, it was one of the many things he liked about Lily Evans. She was funny, pretty, sharp, witty and only younger than him by a year. He'd even had a bit of a crush on her three years back when she'd first been taken in as a maid. Such feelings had quickly been pushed away though. There was just no having a relationship with anyone as a servant boy. It didn't help that Lily was essentially responsible for her family's well-being. They lived back in Ombra, and because of an injury her father sustained, it seemed that every single shilling she earned was sent back to them. Since he had known her, she had been quiet and reserved, always focused on her higher goal of supporting her family.

She was doing a lot better now. Severus Snape seemed to have taken a shine to the vivacious young redhead, and as a result, she earned almost double what the other maids earned. Not charity, of course. Lily would _never _accept just seemed to pull little extra jobs for her out of the blue, thereby increasing her pay. It made Lily uncomfortable, even if she was earning more. She wasn't stupid, and she knew what was happening. She just knew better than to question it.

"Here, let me get that for you," James said suddenly, motioning to the remaining dishes.

Lily paused to glance at him. "No James, I'm fine. _Really_. Go on and do what you're supposed to do."

"I've got time," he insisted. "Come on Lily, go rest. There's only a few left anyways."

She looked at him uncertainly. "Are you sure?"

"Positive," he said firmly. He gently took the plate she was holding from her hand and bumped her to the side with his hip. "Off you go."

She looked as if she didn't know what to do for a few moments. But then her face split into a dazzling smile and she patted James affectionately on the back. "Thanks James."

"Oi!" James yelped as the water from her hand dripped through his thin shirt. "Watch it, little girl." He flicked a tiny bit of water in her face and she blinked in surprise.

"James!"

He merely gave her a cheeky grin, to which she rolled her eyes and walked away with a big smile on her face.

* * *

><p>Four hours later… four immensely stressful hours later, the dinner was over.<p>

The seven maidens, their parents, and Mr. and Mrs. Snape sat around the huge dining table with the warm light of the chandelier above their heads and the food in their bellies. They made conversation about everything and nothing, and the sound of their laughter rang in the massive dining hall.

They were all incredibly beautiful, the seven maidens. How could they not be? Their blood was the finest of the land, their parents the richest. Their hair looked as though spun by the finest silk and their dresses more expensive than a miner's yearly wage. They had been handpicked specially by Mr. and Mrs. Snape – or Tobias and Eileen as they were more informally known – to dine with them that night.

Eileen Snape thought they were perfect, and wondered how Severus was going to pick from them all. That is, if he even spared any of them a glance. Her son had been silent and moody all through the dinner… well, more silent and moody than usual. He'd kept his expression neutral and barely even contributed to the dinner conversations. Eileen had expected him to at least _look _at the girls – they were extremely beautiful – but he'd only given them each a appraising look, and then scowled down at his food for the rest of the dinner.

Eileen was worried. Severus would be turning nineteen the following January, and he'd barely even started to show any interest of the opposite gender. She wasn't sure if he had just not matured enough yet, or, worse, he was not looking to be married. The idea was preposterous. How else would the Snape name be carried down through their descendents? How would they even _get _descendents?

No. Severus must marry. There simply wasn't another option.

Speaking of her son, where _was_ Severus?

She looked around the dining table. They were all conversing with another, but Severus's seat was empty. No one seemed to have noticed.

"You. _You_," Eileen hissed at the nearest maid, who was clearing away the empty dishes, "Lillian." The girl had bright red hair and emerald green eyes and looked startled at being addressed, but she promptly pulled herself together and glided over to Eileen, a few dishes balanced neatly in her hand.

"Ma'am?" she asked politely.

Eileen was a little bit surprised at her efficiency, but quickly waved it off. "Where is my son?"

"Severus?" Lily asked in surprise.

"Yes Severus, you daft girl, do I have another son?" Eileen snapped. "Where is he?"

The girl flushed slightly but said in a steady voice, "My apologies Ma'am. I don't know where Severus is. I was under the impression he was dining with you."

Eileen would have cursed, were she not in the presence of company. This was the opposite of what she had wanted. The whole point to these girls being here was for Severus to _pick_…

"Go find him," Eileen ordered."Tell him that I simply _insist_ that he joins us at the table."

Lily gave a brief curtsey and headed towards the kitchen, blood boiling. How dare that vile woman call her daft? How _dare_ she? Just because Lily was her servant, it gave her absolutely no right to treat her like dirt beneath her shoes. It was one of the worst things about working as a maid for Lily: having to tolerate being treated as one's inferior. The Snape's were plain rude to every one of their staff, bordering on cruel, in fact. And taking it all in stride rebelled against the very essence of Lily's nature.

Just as she heatedly reached for the kitchen door, it was pushed open before she could touch the handle. Lily quickly took a step back to avoid being hit in the face – if not for her grace, the entire pile of dishes she had been holding would have crashed to the floor. As it was, she was barely able to keep them together.

"Woops, didn't see you there, angel."

Of course it was him.

"Damn it, James, there are 'In' and 'Out' signs on the doors for a reason," Lily said angrily. She shoved past him into the almost empty kitchen. Even though James was her best friend in the whole Manor, his blatant disregard for rules or guidelines irked her to no end sometimes.

Instead of leaving like Lily expected him to, James shut the door behind him and walked up to her.

"Someone's in a testy mood," James pointed out.

"No, someone's not," she replied shortly. "You just threw a door in my face, why would I be testy?"

"It was an accident. Calm down Lily," he said soothingly.

"_I am calm_!" Lily exclaimed angrily, slamming the plates down unto the counter.

James raised an eyebrow.

She took a deep breath, actually trying to calm down. She'd been easily irritated lately, a probable result of the so few hours of sleep she was getting per night.

"Listen," she said wearily, "James, you haven't seen the git around have you?"

It took James a moment to realize who Lily was talking about. There were a lot of '_gits'_ that she could have been referring too. He wrinkled his nose quite adorably and she felt herself soften automatically. "Snivellus?"

Lily couldn't help but crack a smile. "Yes, him. You haven't seen him, have you? Apparently he ditched the dinner – I don't blame him, to be honest. But now I'm stuck having to go find him for his dear old mummy."

"Can't help you, I'm afraid," he shook his head sympathetically. "I've barely seen him all day."

Lily sighed. Just her luck. Where could Severus even be?

She glanced at James and realized he'd taken off his white waistcoat. "You turning in?"

"Yeah," said James grinning. "Gotta be up early. Big day, you know?"

Lily smiled painfully at him. "Oh yes, the Festival. I'd almost forgotten. Have fun, will you? For both of us. I really wish I could go," she ended wistfully.

"Yeah, well, there's always next year," James said casually. "So you can actually start saving up for a ticket."

An awkward silence hung in the air. It was a conversation they'd been skirting around for months and months: what they were going to do once James turned eighteen?

It wasn't a matter of what they were _actually _going to do. They both knew _that_. James knew he was getting out of the Snape Manor as fast as his legs could carry him, grabbing his gold, and renting a room near the market square for him and Sirius. Lily knew she was… well Lily really wasn't sure of anything. She could not imagine life at the Manor without James, she really couldn't. He was her rock. He was the only person who made life there tolerable, save for Remus and Sirius, but apparently they would be leaving too. After all, she had long since known that Remus would be leaving to become a scribe amongst the Oddment People the second he was of age. And she supposed the other four maids were nice as well, but she just wasn't as close with them. She couldn't just _quit_… her whole family was depending on her… perhaps if she found another job…

Lily pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing. She still had a year to figure things out. "Well g'night then," she said tiredly.

James looked at her for a moment, before giving a small smile. "Good night, Lily."

He watched as she turned and headed through the left exit door, no doubt to look for Severus. After the door swung back behind her, he looked around the kitchens, letting out a breath and ruffling his messy, black hair. It was almost completely empty, except for one servant boy drying the washed dishes who went by the name of –

"Oliver m'boy!" James said moving to the brown-haired boy. "About to head up?"

Oliver looked up at James, his young, round face almost slack with drowsiness. He was one of the youngest servant-boys, at the age of thirteen. James had taken a shine to him the moment he'd stepped into the Manor, and Oliver adored him in return. However, Oliver seemed to have gotten it into his head that, for being the youngest of the staff, he had to work twice as much as any of them, including Cook. He would run around asking if anyone needed any help, insisting on delivering that help, and even doing jobs that no one had asked him to do. It was admirable, yes, and the whole staff had grown to love the bright, young boy, but sometimes – like now – James had to grab hold of him and pull him back down to Earth when he was dangerously close to overworking himself.

"How about we drop that," James said gently and grabbed the dishcloth from Oliver's hand, "and trot off to bed."

"No, no," Oliver shook his head, and his shaggy brown hair flew everywhere. "James, I have to finish –"

"No," James said. "Someone can finish this off in the morning. Tomorrow's a Saturday. I mean it Oliver. Let's go."

Oliver hesitated for a second, but it seemed his exhaustion overpowered his determination. His shoulders dropped, and he withdrew from the sink. James took the boy by his shoulders and led him through the right exit door.

In the Entrance Hall, they reached the magnificent crystallized staircase that led up into the rooms of the mansions. Chatter from the dining hall drifted across to them but they paid it no mind. The Snape's were to show the maidens their rooms themselves, as was only polite. It had been hours since the servant boys had carried their heavy trunks to their rooms, and the maids had fluffed their pillows earlier that morning. Yes, it had been a busy, busy day. Cook had retired to his home ("Mustn't keep the wife waiting. She'll have my head, she will."), the night lights had been lit, and the windows had been shut to keep the chilly night air out.

"This way," James said softly. He guided Oliver to the right of the stairs where, like a broom cupboard, there was a door under them. He threw it open to reveal a staircase going down to the basement of the Manor. He and Oliver trudged down the stairs, trying not to make too much noise, as the basement was the home to the staff. As they reached the bottom, a hallway lit by many torches appeared to them.

James pushed open the closest door to him, and stuck his head into the room.

"Alright, boys?"

It was only five boys in the room, but the room looked like at least a dozen people lived there. It appeared as though a hurricane had struck the place. Straw from their mattresses along with the few clothes the boys owned littered the ground. Unused coats hung on the posters of the beds, and dirty boots were scattered below the window. In the center of the room however, a wide circle had been cleared away from the floor, and four boys sat around in a circle. There was a full bottle in the middle.

"Have you got Oliver, James?" the blonde one asked, as they all swiveled round to look at him.

"Right here," James rolled his eyes, pushing Oliver in by the small of his back. "Take care of him, yeah?"

"I don't need to be taken care of," Oliver mumbled as he kicked off his shoes and crawled into his bed.

"Right," James grinned. He winked at the boys on the floor. "Keep that bottle away from him, he isn't legal yet."

They all laughed. None of them were legal yet themselves, and James knew it. They were after all, only a couple years older than Oliver. Heck even James wasn't legal yet, but there were _many_ ways to get around the law.

"Oh James don't be such a killjoy!" cried the one with black hair and deep brown eyes, who already appeared slightly tipsy. "Let him have some fun! We're living the high life down here!" He raised the bottle, not even noticing when a bit of the amber liquid splashed on to his pants.

"Hush it Byrd," the blond one rolled his eyes, and the other two laughed. "Anyway James – you're going to the festival tomorrow, aren't you? Make sure to bring something back okay?"

"Will do," James smiled. He bade them good night then shut the door behind him. Glancing at the staircase – was Lily still looking for Severus? – he crossed the hallway and opened the door opposite the one he'd just left. This room, _his_ room, was cleaner than Oliver's, though not by much. It had the same layout, except they had four beds instead of five – the beds stood against the walls opposite from one other. The lights had been extinguished, so he knew his roommates were asleep. The sounds of snoring could only belong to McCollins and Sirius.

James smiled, feeling happy. He was spending a _whole _day out of the Manor tomorrow. For the first time since he could remember, he would have no responsibilities, no errands, odd jobs or anything of that sort to carry out. He would be out in the sun with his two best friends…

"James?"

Speaking of best friends, a soft voice came from the bed adjacent to James'. James instantly recognized it as Remus's.

"Sirius said you got the tickets," he continued sleepily.

James pulled off his shirt, and grinned at Remus' lying form. "I did. Hold on to your socks Remus, tomorrow's going to be a great day."

Remus gave a light chuckle. "I know."

In a few seconds, his breathing had deepened and James shook his head. The boy could fall asleep anywhere. James kicked off his worn, leather shoes and crawled into his bed, humming in his head what he imagined to be a tune of a wild adventure and of swords and princesses and stormy love triangles, but in reality he sounded tone-deaf.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Wow, okay phew. So it causes me physical pain... _physical __pain_ when you add my story in to your favorites or alerts and then not review :( SERIOUSLY.

I'm really proud of this chapter! It's not gone through the beta phase completely but I just wanted to post it because it was killing me. Thanks to my beautiful betas, **homeric** and **Pointless Nostalgic**!

Anyways, so guys, I worked really hard on this and it would mean the _world_ to me if you just took a few seconds of your time to review :)

Also, I have to give credit, Inkheart by Cornelia Funke was a big inspiration for this story. That's even where I got the name 'Ombra' from. And obviously credit to the queen, J.K. Rowling. All hail and such. I own the story, though! Just not the characters.

_Next chapter: The Festival!_


	2. The Festival

Virgo et Vernula

Chapter 2: The Festival

* * *

><p>The sun was just peeking out from the horizon when James rose from his bed, stretching. For a split second, he wondered why he'd woken up so early, but with a rush of excitement, he remembered... the Firebolt Festival!<p>

"OY!" he yelled, scrambling up from the straw mattress. "Up you get, tossers! Today's the day!"

Without waiting for his roommates' reactions, James bounced over to the window and drew the coarse curtains back. The sun hadn't risen fully, but he didn't care. They had to walk about three miles to get to the castle anyway, and that would kill about thirty minutes. Oh, he couldn't wait! The things he'd heard about the festival were enough to make him squirm in excitement. Hadn't there been tales of epic romances beginning at the festival - where perhaps a destitute maid fell in love with a knight of the king - and wild stories of noble fights and bursts of heroism? Didn't all the famous scribes of Parvahal weave grand stories while the audience waited with bated breath? Didn't they say that the finest fire-weavers and tight-rope walkers and jugglers trained for a whole year just for the event?

If there was anything James loved, it was the rush of adrenaline that came with doing anything out of the ordinary. He loved adventure, and danger, and anything that gave him that feeling of dizzying exhilaration. Of course, as a servant boy, the opportunity didn't come frequently. It was why he'd wanted to go to the festival for so long—The Oddment People were the most mercurial group of people he'd ever heard of.

"I said, get _up,_ you lot!" James shouted, walking up to Remus's bed and ripping his sheets off of him. "Oh – sorry, McCollins, not you. You can go back to sleep. _Sirius._"

The sun had risen when he _finally_ managed to get his best mates out of their beds and ready to depart. They trudged up and out of the basement, shoes tied, hair brushed (well, James had _tried_ to brush his hair) and eyes glinting with anticipation. Swinging into the kitchen, they found a certain Lily up in a pink bathroom robe, tending to a mug of milk. She jumped when they entered.

"G'morning, my angel face!" James grinned as he strolled into the room.

"What – oh right. You three. The festival," Lily breathed, dipping a few tiny marshmallows into the mug of milk before she took a sip. Remus gave her a warm greeting which she returned with a smile. Sirius told her he liked her in a bathrobe. She scowled at him. "Can it, Sirius. Why are you all leaving so early?"

"Trying to avoid the crowd," James told her, promptly. He opened a cabinet in search of something to eat before he spotted some muffins. He grabbed three and tossed one each to Sirius and Remus then took a big bite out of one himself.

Lily nodded, wishing them a happy time before she began to return to the Entrance Hall.

"Oh and boys?" she said as she turned to exit the kitchen. "Do try not to cause too much trouble?"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "What trouble could we possibly cause?"

"You tell me," Lily called as she took several more steps away. "A few broken stalls, a tripped up horse… the destruction of Diagon Castle, the death of King Cates, I don't know, you can never tell with you three…"The three boys laughed and made their way to the opposite exit.

It was a nice day outside. The sun was almost completely high in the air and the sky was clear and blue. It was the sort of day that just made James want to sing… or something else just as embarrassing. They trudged through the busy streets of Diagon, laughing amongst one another and speculating the events that were to take place that day. Sirius could not wait to see the fire-weavers ("I heard some of them can hold balls of fire in their hands!") and Remus wanted to talk to some of the scribes about how they made a living. James just wanted to be there already.

Soon enough, the sun was high in the sky and as they turned a corner, they caught sight of the familiar castle gates. They were huge, as was expected, but unlike every other day when James walked by them, they were open. The Diagon Castle stood proudly behind the gates, its towers sparkling brightly in the sunlight.

"Blimey, it's packed!" Sirius exclaimed.

And he was right. They had thought the streets were busy before, but it was nothing compared to the crowds of people that swarmed around them by the castle. Beggars, merchants, servants, shabbily dressed peasants, women with their children and even the men whose immense wealth showed through their lavish clothing and gem-covered fingers; they were all streaming into the castle courtyard, like a relentless flood.

They stood there, stunned for a few moments, before people began to push and shove them from behind, muttering about 'time-wasters.'

"Come on." Remus tugged on their sleeves and all three of them joined the flow of people.

As James and his two best mates got closer and closer to the castle, he felt like a little boy again. Not only because his heart was beating with the anticipation of one, but because of the massive—almost oppressive—gates that were looming over them. The grey, meter-thick walls that surrounded them did not help his rather odd sense of unease.

"Oi! Watch it, you little twit!" came Sirius's indignant voice from his right. James glanced down and saw a little boy with dark hair running past them. He was laughing and looking back as if running from someone. A moment later, a blonde girl ran passed them - she pushed Sirius out of the way as well- and then they both disappeared into the crowd of people.

"Little buggers," Sirius yelled at his companions so that they could hear him over the noise of the crowd. "I really hate kids."

Remus rolled his eyes. "Let them have their fun Sirius," he replied loudly. "Kids are one of the purest things on the planet, you know. They're really like little bundles of joy -"

"Oh hitch up your skirt, Remus!" Sirius said crossly.

James was not paying attention to his bickering friends for he'd caught sight of the guards that manned the gates. There were about ten of them, all armed with spears and helmets. Underneath their chains of mail, they were garbed in the dark blue tunics that were usually associated with the workers of King Cates. Emblems of the king stood proudly on their mail and on the shields they carried - it was a roaring lion, standing on its hind legs and breathing fire.

Generally, they were letting most people in through the gates after glancing briefly at their tickets, but every once in a bit, they would block someone with a glare and a threatening jab of the spear. No one else seemed bothered by it, but James wondered why they were being turned away and worried briefly that the same would happen to him.

His worry was short-lived. They reached the gates in time and though James's heart was hammering madly against his chest - why did he feel so guilty, he hadn't even done anything wrong - the guards let them pass without trouble.

"This is it," Sirius said gleefully after they'd stepped pass the guards and under the shadow of the walls. "Here we go."

They moved past the portcullis, still in the midst of the large throng, but with considerably less people around. At least now they could walk on their own rather than being swept away by the current of bodies. They walked through a dark passageway, not speaking to one another, but admiring the defense strategies the castles had placed around to keep out unwelcome visitors.

"A bit much, don't you think?" James said, glancing at the holes through which boiling water could be poured down upon the heads of the people.

They didn't get to answer though; they had just finally stepped into the courtyard, and the clear, blue sky was again visible above them.

They were in the Outer Courtyard of Diagon Castle.

James was a bit dazed.

His senses seemed to be on the verge of overloading. There was too much to take in. There was music coming from somewhere... drums and trumpets and singing... beautiful, _beautiful_singing that seemed to make the cherry blossoms above him bloom in delight. Already, stands had been set up all over and the sales people were yelling and screaming about their goods to the people ("Here! Free amulets. I SAID FREE AMULETS! Sir, are you quite deaf, why wouldn't you want a FREE amulet!" "The very best quality, Ma'am I quite assure you. Nowhere else will you find gold as pure..."). There were several stages set up and rope lines set high in the air, though it seemed the Oddment People hadn't arrived yet.

"Where do we start?" Remus asked in amazement.

Sirius was over himself with excitement. "Are those... are those... _balloons_?"

Their heads swiveled in the direction Sirius was pointing at. The floating objects _looked _like they were balloons, but the intricate shapes into which they were twisted made it seem almost unbelievable. For one thing, James was fairly sure one of them was a fire breathing dragon.

Chattering excitedly, they made their way to the balloons, not intending to buy, but rather to admire. They had little money anyway and they planned on using it to buy food.

Apart from the fire breathing dragon balloons, there were many other fascinating things that demanded the three boys' attention. There were people looking to earn a few nuggets of gold who took to things like snake chanting, dancing on their heads, ventriloquist acts, and even dancing with little monkeys. James, Sirius and Remus had tremendous fun laughing along with the rest of the crowd when a particularly treacherous monkey grabbed his owner's bowl of coins and took off.

At noon, the boys were talking to a group of giggling, peasant girls when a cry of celebration rose from the crowd.

"What's happened?" Remus asked curiously and he wasn't the only intrigued one. People around them as well were looking for the source of celebration, though they didn't have to wait long. Shouts began to be heard; it spread like wildfire until it finally reached their ears.

"The Oddment People are here! The Oddment People have arrived!"

James gave a big whoop. They were finally here! He'd finally get to see the Oddment People!

They turned and rushed back towards the center of the courtyard, where a crowd had already formed, leaving behind four very disgruntled girls.

"Excuse me," Sirius said loudly as they tried to push their way to the front. "Excuse me – good Lord, I SAID excuse me - oi, no dirty looks, you're taller than I am anyways -"

After a lot of pushing and shoving, they managed to claim a place near the front of the crowd.

James was stunned. The Oddment People were everywhere. Even though they'd just arrived, they'd already managed to disperse around the courtyard. There were so many of them: jugglers, knife-throwers, magicians, contortionists, clowns, pipers. They each wore a leotard with many bright colors, though a number of them wore long black cloaks with red linings – fire weavers. The fire weavers the most highly anticipated performers, of course. He'd heard _magnificent_ things about them: they could breathe fire, they could dance in fire, they could even _eat_ fire… though most of these statements were sure to be untrue. The maids' gossip was never reliable.

The Oddment People weren't doing much yet. They were smiling at the crowds, laughing their cheerful laughs, and tinkering away at the stages they were to perform on. The atmosphere in the festival had risen to phenomenal heights. It was so infectious that James found himself grinning widely for no reason at all; it made him look at little scary.

"Hey I'm going to go talk to one of them, okay?" he said suddenly, nudging Sirius in the side.

Sirius looked at him curiously. "What about?"

"Just a few questions," James said distractedly. He'd just caught sight of one of the fire weavers who'd stopped in his tracks and was searching for something in a satchel he had strapped to his side. "Listen, I'll be back soon. Don't wander too far off."

"Yes, mummy."

James rolled his eyes, and began to make his way past the crowd again. _This is really getting tedious_, he thought exasperatedly as another child ran roughly past him. _There are way too many people on this planet_.

The fire weaver seemed to have found what he was looking for. He closed his bag self-satisfactorily and began to move in the opposite direction from James. James quickened his pace, getting a bit more violent with pushing people.

"Excuse me!" He called out to the fire weaver a bit breathless. "Excuse me! No, not _you_ – Mr. Fire Weaver sir!"

It was a bit hopeless, considering it was so noisy around them, but James finally squeezed his way through and ended up right behind the man. He tapped him on his shoulder and the fire weaver whirled round, warm surprise written on his face. He was a tall, lean man – most of them were – with light brown, cropped hair. He was handsome, even though he looked like he was in his late forties. James suddenly felt a little intimidated, but he quickly found his voice.

"So sorry to bother you," he said politely, "but I was wondering if I could have a bit of your time?"

The man looked at James inquisitively and spoke. "Depends on what for, dear boy." His voice was deep and melodious; it sounded like he would start singing any moment.

"I just have a few questions," James said quickly. "I'm very interested in what you do."

The man smiled, revealing small, even teeth. "Are you really?"

James nodded enthusiastically, and the man chuckled. "Most young lads are," he smiled. "Unfortunately, I'm rather busy at the moment, but uh –" he rummaged again in his satchel and pulled out a little slip of parchment – "here. Take this."

James took the parchment and read

_Mr. Graham Petracelli_

_Fire – Weaver_

_8109 Cambria Alley, Diagon_

"I happen to live in Diagon when I'm not out with the Oddments," Mr. Petracelli explained. "So those questions you have, you can just pop in any time and ask me about them," he finished kindly.

James face brightened, surprised at his kindness. "Thank you, sir! How will the weekend after the next do for you?"

He thought about it for a moment before he nodded. "That should be fine. Come in around, say five. The wife's usually making tea about then, and she makes some _cracking_ biscuits."

"I'll be sure to remember," James smiled. He bid goodbye to Mr. Petracelli and turned to head back, grinning widely. He'd just gotten invited to dinner with a _fire weaver_.

This really was a great day.

A noticeable skip in his step, James headed towards the food stands, intending to buy perhaps a pint of Butterbeer – it was getting rather hot now that the sun was shining brightly above Diagon. He crossed over the courtyard, passed a stone fountain of King Cates, and was about to join the queue when he caught sight of familiar bright red hair bobbing excitedly a bit in front of him. Was that Lily? It had to be… no one quite had hair like hers… but what was she doing at the festival? She hadn't bought a ticket. And… why was she with Pepe, the Snape's horse? The servants and the maids weren't allowed to even go _near _the stables, except to clean it.

"_Lily_?"

It was her. She turned around in surprise, her hair flying – it was out today, a sure sign she was happy – and laughed breathlessly when she saw James.

"Oh James, THERE you are! I've been looking all over for you! I just met with Sirius and Remus a few minutes ago – can you _believe_this place?" she asked delightedly as she turned Pepe around by his reins. "It's amazing!"

James struggled forward between a few big-bellied men before he finally stood in front of her. Rather breathless he exclaimed, "Lily – what are you doing here? You told me you didn't have a ticket!"

"I didn't," she grinned.

James was confused. "But then how'd you get here? Oh my God," he lowered his voice seriously, "You didn't scale the walls did you?"

"No!" Lily cried, laughing. "My God James, do I really look like I'm capable of climbing those walls?"

"I think you're capable of a lot of things, angel," he countered mysteriously. "I wouldn't put it past you for a second."

Lily rolled her eyes, and hit him lightly on the arm. "No you git. If you must know -"

"I must."

"- Severus decided to attend today. He needed someone to take care of Pepe here." She smoothed down his golden mane as she spoke.

"And you were the only one he could get for that job?" James asked, raising an eyebrow. "He couldn't have gotten one of the servant boys? Lord knows we have more than enough of us."

Lily blushed. "Well, maybe horses prefer a feminine touch, I don't know."

James' eyebrow went even higher.

"Shut up," she grumbled. "It doesn't matter anyway. I don't mind taking care of little old Pepe for the day," Lily patted his flank affectionately.

James glanced at the horse warily. He didn't understand why Lily loved the horse so much. In fact, he thought it was a little creepy the way the horse seemed to be glaring at him no matter which side he stood by it.

"You're crazy," he said, shaking his head. "That horse is scary."

"Oh, stop," she scolded. "He's nothing but a big sweetheart,"

They bickered their way to the front of the queue where a short, bald man was handing out the Butterbeer bottles jovially. James idly wondered whether he had stolen a quick sip out of one of the bottles. He knew _he _would have, considering how hot it was getting.

"Two please," James said cheerfully to the stout man.

"No that's fine, James," Lily said hurriedly as she began to scramble about her purse for some change. "I can pay for myself, you know... Oh, where is that coin..."

"Ignore her," James said to the man. He dropped two coins onto the counter and grabbed the two bottles, ignoring Lily's protests.

"Oh, hush Evans," he shushed, as they walked back towards the fountain. James began to scan the courtyard, searching for a glimpse of Sirius' long shaggy dark hair or Remus' short, fair one. "Did you really think I would let you pay?"

Lily spluttered beside him, pulling the bored-looking Pepe along. "Well, I mean, you didn't have to! I didn't - I - it's not like... like we're on a date or something."

James raised an eyebrow and glanced at her, wondering why she was so red. "I never said we were... blimey, are those more fire weavers?"

It seemed they were. On the stages that had been empty a few hours ago, now stood several shirtless men, tall and lean as Mr. Petracelli had been. Their bronzed skin seemed to be shining in the sun, but James knew it was the grease they slathered on to protect themselves from the fire. The show hadn't started yet, so James quickly dragged Lily among the forming crowd, thoughts of finding Remus and Sirius now forgotten.

"Someone's eager," Lily remarked casually, leaning against Pepe's flank.

James shushed her. It was starting.

The fire seemed to come out of nowhere. One second the fire weavers were standing motionlessly on the stage, and the next second, waves and waves of blazing fire were climbing the air. James didn't know how they did it. He had _so_ many questions for Mr. Petracelli. The fire was swirling around their bodies as though they were immune to it. The fire climbed higher and higher in the air, smoke billowing out into the sky.

It was moving faster now. It wasn't just fire – it was water. It rippled and danced and swayed according to the fire weavers synchronized hand commands. It formed circles which the fire weavers jumped through like trained dogs through a hoop. It wasn't just a game, it was a dance. It was so that if just one of the fire dancers – because that was what they were – missed a step, they would all be burned to a crisp. James and Lily oohed and aahed and gasped and whooped along with the crowd as the weavers moved in and out of the fire, making different shapes with their crackling whips.

It ended when one of the fire weavers – it was Mr. Petracelli! – picked up a little bottle filled with a swirling, milky liquid and poured it into his mouth. He didn't swallow it – James could tell from his bulging cheeks. Mr. Petracelli jumped into the middle of the stage and threw his head back. With a roar, a long stream of fire rolled out his mouth and high into sky, almost roasting a bird passing by.

James had never clapped so hard in his life. He felt as if his hands would fall off from applauding so hard. His cheeks were flushed and his heart was racing. He turned to look at Lily, who was bearing glowing cheeks as well. Her startlingly green eyes were sparkling and her red hair was glinting under the sun, reminding James strongly of the fire he'd just seen.

"That was bloody _amazing_," they cried simultaneously, then burst out laughing.

"Oh, Sirius and Remus better have seen that," James said excitedly, as they began to disperse along with the chattering crowd. "Speaking of Sirius and Remus…"

He looked around again, wondering where the hell his mates were. Lily noticed his concern and grabbed his arm.

"Remus and Sirius are big boys, James," she said. "I'm sure they can handle themselves – listen, I'm up for some honey nuts. Do you want to come along?"

James hesitated for a moment, then shrugged. She was right. He threw an arm around Lily's shoulders, chatting animatedly with her till they got to the other food stall. It wasn't long before they were chewing away happily at the nuts – Lily had threatened to castrate James if he didn't let her pay for herself. He did not object.

They were walking by the cool fountain in search of some shade to lie under when something strange happened. A hush came over the entire courtyard and the crowd began to stir. James's head automatically swiveled around in the direction of the gates of the courtyard. They were not the gates through which he had come through. These were smaller gates that led straight into the courtyard and were more heavily armed. A loud, resounding horn rang through the air, and James immediately knew what was happening. He couldn't count the number of times he'd heard that horn. His heart began to race in his chest. A lot of the crowd, and Lily he noticed, were sporting annoyed looks. The other half seemed to be scared.

He was neither. He was excited.

The princess and her family were coming through.

The metal gates creaked open, slowly but steadily. James instinctively drew Lily closer to him; she blushed, but did not throw him off. Soldiers rode into the outer courtyard first on horses that stood taller than the average man, the emblems on their shields glinting beneath the sun. Almost as though practiced, the crowd parted to let them through, though James did not move.

The courtyard was silent as a grave now. The entertainers stood motionless on their stages or tight-ropes, now forgotten. All that could be heard was the sound of the horses' hooves, oddly uniformed like a marching band, the horses' snorts, and the clanking of the soldiers' weapons. James wondered why there were so many of the soldiers. Usually, there were at most twenty men-at-arms accompanying the Royal Family when they went out, but now it seemed like the procession of hard-faced soldiers would never stop.

"This is ridiculous," he heard Lily whisper crossly.

James agreed privately, but said nothing as the men-at-arms rode by them. He did not share the high level of contempt Lily had for royalty; he was one of the few who didn't. The Cates had ruled Parvahal for as long as anyone could remember. They had ruled with a solid hand, never cruel but at the same time, when food was hard to come by and times were hard, one could hardly help but blame the King. A revolt, however, was not in the question. There was no one powerful enough to overthrow the Cates on their own, and most were too scared to try.

The King's carriage was the last to come through. There was no mistaking him. He was a tall, dark-haired man with dark-set eyes and heavy eyebrows. He wore his characteristic small smile and a large golden crown sat upon his head. His eyes roved the courtyard, and he seemed to take in everything. His carriage stopped suddenly – the silence in the air was almost palpable – and the King rose slowly from his seat.

"Welcome," he began, in a deep calming voice. "Welcome all to the Castle of Diagon, for the 74th Annual Firebolt Festival. I wish you nothing but enjoyment and gratification on this beautiful day."

King Cates sat back down in his seat and the carriage began to move again. Many people cheered, a few people fell to their knees – James snorted – while in contrast, a few stared up at him with hostility. He took no notice of either man. Rather he turned to his wife, who sat small and red-haired beside him, and whispered into her ear. James would've tried to discern what he was saying, but he was distracted.

Princess Roselyn sat behind the King and Queen, proud and beautiful as ever. Her long, raven-black hair tumbled down in elegant curls behind her back, and her smooth alabaster skin seemed to almost glow in the sun. She was looking around haughtily, as though she was daring her subjects to stare at her. James heart pounded even more wildly. It seemed she only got more beautiful each time he saw her. He glanced quickly to her right and saw she was sitting next to an unfamiliar man who seemed to be attracting some attention as well.

The man wore robes of red. He was dark-haired as well, and almost as pale as the princess. In fact, he could have been mistaken for her brother if it was not a known fact that Roselyn had no siblings. They even shared the same haughty look, though the red-robed man seemed a lot colder… hostile, even.

James sensed nothing but trouble from the man as the carriage came closer to him and Lily. He reverted his eyes back to the princess and started when he realized she was staring straight at him.

An electric jolt ran through James as he locked eyes with the princess. She was looking right at him! Or was she? James looked wildly behind him, but there was no one behind him. She was definitely looking at him. Unless she was looking at the fountain... No, definitely him. As he locked eyes with her again, he thought he caught the faint hint of a smirk on her flawless face, but before he could properly identify it, she had ridden past them and into the Inner Courtyard, leaving him slightly dazed.

"What a snob."

Lily's low, indignant voice drifted into his ear. He snapped back out of his daze and looked around. People were filling the path again and there was a general annoyed muttering among the crowd.

"She's not a snob," James said automatically as they began to move again.

Lily raised an eyebrow at him, and he flushed.

"What" he said defensively. "I just think she's... misunderstood."

Lily looked at him disbelievingly. "Are you serious? Please," she said scathingly. "Your stupid crush on her surely doesn't blind you to the fact that she's _conceited_. I mean, did you see the way she was looking at us? Like we're all something disgusting beneath her gold-encrusted leather boots."

James was about to retort when they finally caught sight of Sirius and Remus behind a few resting horses. They both waved them over, and Lily and James crossed over to them with Pepe trotting comfortably behind them.

"Hey," Remus said as they approached, "There you two are. Been looking _all_ over for you James! I knew you'd find Lily though. Anyway, Lily, did you feed Pepe yet? Because I found these apples..."

Lily had not fed Pepe yet, so they all headed over to the food stands and got a few apples, which Lily fed delightedly to the 'poor, tired' horse. They walked around the festival some more, pointing at amazing things and strong men lofting ridiculously heavy things, contortionists bending in unbelievable shapes, and jugglers in their bright colorful costumes. It was honestly the best day of their lives.

It was sullied a bit, however, when they ran into Severus, who looked like he was moping around as usual. James was surprised he even came out into the sun at all. He greeted the greasy-haired git with a cheerful hello, but Severus merely threw him a disgusted look. James ignored it. He was used to Severus' condescension. He didn't intend to stay long though it seemed. Ignoring James, Sirius and Remus pointedly, Severus informed Lily in a low voice that he would be returning to the castle and needed Pepe. Lily seemed flustered and began to make her goodbyes to her friends, when Severus waved her off and told her she could stay. He would take Pepe and ride home by himself; Lily could return when she wanted to.

Lily was delighted, but James didn't like the way Severus had leaned in a bit too close to Lily to give her the news. Not that he was jealous in any way. He just really didn't like Severus, and the thought of him getting within two inches of Lily made him sick to his stomach.

'''

It didn't feel like long before the sun had set and the people, including James, Sirius, Remus and Lily, began to depart reluctantly to their homes. There were babies to be fed and gardens to be watered and food to be cooked, and though it was fun to leave their hardships for a few treasured hours, it could not last.

"I never want this day to end," Sirius said wistfully as they walked past the guards they had seen earlier in the day, and out the gigantic gates.

"Me either," Remus said sadly. "Back to the washing..."

"And scrubbing," Sirius added.

"And cleaning," Remus continued.

"And cooking."

"And dusting."

"And back to general slavery."

"We're not slaves Sirius," Remus rolled his eyes.

"Speak for yourself," Sirius said indignantly. "I was this close to being forced to wash Snivellus's underwear last week! Do you even _kno w_how traumatizing that would've been?"

They all laughed.

It wasn't a long walk back to the manor. In fact, it rather felt like it went by much too quickly. It was a nice night out, and the stars seemed especially bright. The cool air was filled with the sounds of tired, yet cheerful conversations and laughter from the other peasants who were also returning to their homes.

"They seem rather cozy, don't they?" Sirius whispered to Remus as he jerked his head at Lily and James, who were walking a ways behind them. James was telling her a story enthusiastically and she was laughing so hard that she had to lean against him for support. Remus grinned at them for a moment before he replied in a low voice, "Looks like someone's got a little crush on our dear old James."

Sirius glanced back at them. "You think so?" he mused. "What about James?"

Remus shrugged. "James is literally the most oblivious person on the planet. I dunno - give it time."

Sirius agreed. Lily's tinkling laughter rang in the air again and he smiled. Lily would be the perfect match for James, wouldn't she? They balanced each other out flawlessly. In areas where he was rebellious, her rule-abiding side would keep him from doing something too stupid. Likewise, he could influence her to let go a bit. When he was angry, her levelheadedness would temper James' rashness. When they were upset, they could cheer each other up like no one else could. In fact, it was such a perfect match, Sirius wondered why it hadn't happened yet.

"I give it a month," he said confidently to Remus, who let out a short laugh.

"A month?" he chuckled. "Yeah, maybe if James stops pining over the princess, he'll finally notice Lily's perfect for him. But it won't be a month Sirius. I guarantee you it'll be at least five months."

"Five?" Sirius cried. "That's ridiculous. You don't know what you're talking about - _I_ guarantee _you _that it'll be a month."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Hello! If you're reading this that means you got through Chapter 1 so wow I love you for that. I got a few lovely reviews from the last chapter and I seriously love you guys so much for reviewing you don't even know! :D I get this huge, goofy grin on my face every time I get a review email lol. I don't want to waste your time so I won't start gushing about how nice your reviews were.

So I just wanted to thank you all for reading! and ***fssquiggles*** I did use the name Carvahall from Eragon as my inspiration for Parvahal lol I know, I'm so original =P That's great that you picked up on that! :D

Thanks to my wonderful, _wonderful _beta** Pointless Nostalgic** who is the reason this is even readable.

**Disclaimer:** Anything you recognize... not mine lol. James, Lily, Parvahal, Ombra... Major inspiration from Inkheart by Cornelia Funke.

I think that's all I have to say. Please PLEASE review seriously, they make my life. :) And don't forget! Adding to Favorites/Alerts and then not reviewing = pains in my chest.

_Next Chapter: Mr. Petracelli_


	3. Mr Petracelli

Virgo et Vernula

Chapter 3: Mr. Petracelli

* * *

><p>Lily Evans rolled over in her bed and stared at the rough wooden walls.<p>

She was worried.

She'd always known Severus Snape had a soft spot for her. It wasn't particularly hard to spot. She was the only maid - or member of staff for that matter - who he did not speak down to in a condescending manner. Granted, he did not speak to her in a tone radiating warmth and affection, but at least he did not glare or snap at her for every little thing she did. In fact, sometimes when he was having a good day, he would throw her a little smile or ask how she was. Never in the presence of his parents though. In front of his parents he was always as quiet and brooding as ever.

However, today Severus had been a bit friendlier than usual. Lily had huffed up the magnificent staircase and into Mr. And Mrs. Snape's room, carrying a rather large laundry basket, when she stopped dead in her tracks. Severus Snape was searching through the dresser in a rather suspicious manner, though he looked up and shut the dresser quickly as soon as she entered.

"Lily," he stammered. "Er, I was just... looking for... my uh - my -"

"It's quite alright, sir," Lily curtseyed, the basket placed on her hip. "I just wanted to drop this off for your mother. I'll be out of your hair soon enough."

Severus fidgeted a little as Lily threw him a dazzling smile and began to fold the clothes onto the enormous bed. There was an uncomfortable silence and Lily wondered what he was still doing in the room – why didn't he just leave? He was just... staring at her.

Finally, unable to bear it no longer, she looked up at Severus and asked innocently, "Is there something you wanted, sir?"

His sallow face colored. "You don't have to call me 'sir,' you know."

Lily straightened up and looked at Severus hard. He was acting really strange. She didn't have to call him sir? What else was she supposed to call him? 'Severus?' 'Sev?'

She brushed a few strands of hair from her face and replied politely, "There's nothing else I'd rather refer to you as, sir." She cocked her head to the side before continuing on. "And I'm certain there's nothing else that would be as appropriate, don't you think?"

Severus didn't seem to be able to reply. He opened and shut his mouth repeatedly as Lily returned to her folding, a bit quicker this time. She was eager to leave before Severus attempted to talk to her again.

She wasn't as lucky though. She was folding the last silk blouse when he cleared his throat and spoke again. "So did you enjoy the festival?"

Lily almost rolled her eyes in exasperation. The festival had been two weeks ago! Of course she'd enjoyed it; it had been the greatest day of her life. Wasn't it obvious that they had nothing to talk about?

"Immensely," she'd replied curtly. Grabbing the empty basket from the bed, she gave Severus a brief curtsy and then proceeded to exit the room as fast as she could without actually running.

It wasn't like she wanted Severus to treat her horribly, but his friendliness unnerved her; he wasn't exactly an affable kind of person. He was a lanky sort of man with greasy, black hair and a hooked nose which was often the subject of ridicule among the staff. He glared at everything that came in his path and seemed incapable of showing any emotion other than scorn. So why would he make an exception for Lily? And, come to think about it, what _had_ he been looking for in his mother's dresser? Was there something that the Snape's were keeping from their beloved son?

Lily rolled over in her bed again, lethargy eating at her. The sunlight streaming from the window was fading already. She knew there was something to be done – there was always something to be done in the Manor – but her lack of sleep was finally catching up with her. It wasn't her fault, she reasoned. She was worried for her family – she'd received news that her mother had fallen ill and now Petunia was responsible for taking care of both her parents. Lily knew she shouldn't feel guilty, but she still felt like she ought to be back in Ombra tending to them.

_Don't be stupid,_ she told herself sleepily. _Who would provide money for them then?_

The slow hum of the ceiling fan soon had her dozing off. She'd only been asleep for a few minutes when the door to the room opened and a soft voice was calling her name.

"Lily? Lily."

Lily opened her eyes bleakly and saw a tall, dirty-blonde girl head over to her and sit heavily on her bed.

"Katerina," Lily moaned as the girl snuggled under the covers with her, squishing Lily against the wall. She smelled like the fruity soap they used to wash the dishes, a reminder of what still needed to be done for the day. "Get out of my bed, I'm tired."

"It's Kitty," the girl said automatically, her voice muffled into Lily's pillow.

"No, it's _Katerina_ until you leave my bed," Lily said crossly. She pushed herself up into a sitting position so her back was against the wall. Pulling her knees up to her chest, Lily tugged the band from her ponytail and retied it. "Why must you always do this?"she asked the blonde wearily.

Kitty turned her head to smile tiredly at Lily. "There's no need to pretend my presence doesn't brighten your life, Lily, I already know."

Lily fought a smile and yawned. She'd been in her bed for at least an hour, and she was still so tired. "Where is everyone?"

Kitty yawned as well. "Victoria took over the dishes, Juliet is hanging the laundry on the line, Remus and Sirius are trying to hide from Snape, James said he had to be somewhere at five – beats me what _he's_ up to – and I don't know where everyone else is. Busy I expect. Why?

When Lily did not reply, Kitty sighed and sat up on the bed as well. She pulled the rope at the side of the bed and a little bulb lit up above Lily's four-poster. It illuminated the dark circles under Kitty's stormy grey eyes and her wrinkled uniform. She was a pretty girl, everyone said, but she lacked 'proper manners'. Her pretty eyes, her long, blonde hair and her tall, willowy frame often gave people the impression that she was of noble descent, but the impression was quickly thrown away when she laughed rashly right in your face, when she openly mocked you, or when she rolled her eyes in a condescending manner. She had a strong sort of personality that either made you love her or hate her. And though sometimes Lily found herself annoyed at Kitty's plain disregard for personal space, she couldn't help but love the lively blonde.

"I'm leaving the Manor," Kitty said suddenly.

Lily paused, surprise lighting her features. "_What?_"

Kitty sighed again. "I'm leaving the Manor, Lily. In about two months, I reckon. And I'm not coming back."

Lily stared. _Kitty _leaving the Manor? The idea was so strange to Lily that it took her a few moments to process it. Why would Kitty leave? She'd arrived shortly before Lily had so it seemed to her that Kitty had always been around. Lily had grown to depend on her ever present coolness and buoyancy and the thought of her just leaving… it made her breath catch in her throat.

"But _why_?" Lily cried. "What about – about your sister? Your sister –"

"-has overstayed her time at my Uncle's house, I'm afraid," Kitty shook her head. "It's been three years, and she's getting old now… just turned twelve a fortnight ago, you know. Uncle Alf's wife just got pregnant and she's getting bitter about having a child that's not their own living with them. Always knew she was nothing but an old broad," she added as-a-matter-of-factly.

Lily did not know what to say. Even though Kitty was leaving for perfectly unselfish reasons she felt – and there was simply no other word for it – abandoned. First James and Sirius, then Remus, now Kitty? Would she soon be the only one left behind at the Manor while all her friends moved on with their lives? A sudden mental image of James marrying a faceless stranger in front of a little cottage, with Sirius as his best man, while she wearily scrubbed at the marble floors of the Manor flashed across her mind and Lily felt her heart sink.

They would all forget about her.

Kitty caught the expression on Lily's face and as if she'd read Lily's mind, she said softly, "Lily, I'm of age now. I have to go take care of my sister," she said, taking Lily's hand in her own. "And I just want you to know. You're one of the most amazing people I've ever met in my lifetime. I doubt I could ever forget you, even if I tried."

There was a lump in Lily's throat she couldn't seem to get rid of. She squeezed her companion's hand and choked out, "Oh Kitty, I'm going to miss you _so_ much."

Kitty's eyes were filling with tears as well, but she simply laughed it off, as was her nature. "Love, we've still got two months to make our goodbyes. Besides, you'll have more than enough company when I'm gone," she added slyly. "I noticed you and James are pretty chummy. _He'll_ still be around."

"Wrong," Lily sighed, resting her head back against the wall. "He's leaving next summer as well."

"_What_?"

"Yes, I know," Lily said miserably. "I really just don't know what I'm going to do when he's gone."

"Oh Lily," Kitty said sympathetically.

Feeling very sorry for herself indeed, Lily slumped unto the bed and threw the pillow over her head. The two girls lay by each other, all thoughts of sleep forgotten. Maybe she _would_ quit after all… find another job… perhaps for another Lord. One that wasn't as unpleasant…

"It's all changing, isn't it?" she said quietly, breaking the gloomy silence. The room was getting dark in earnest now and the shadows cast by the little bulb grew. "Everyone's getting older, moving on with their lives…"

Kitty flipped over to face Lily, her expression thoughtful. "It's what happens, Lily. Remember Bertha? She had to leave as soon as her father got sick… and then there was Joanna last year, when she got that job as a scribe with the Oddment People... and the time Nalia got that marriage proposal from the miner from Kansted? Situations just pop up… who knows? Maybe you'll find some rich man out there willing to whip you away from here too!"

"Right," Lily said as her lips lifted up in a half smile. "_I'm _going to die an old maid, Kitty. Literally too."

"Oh stop it," Kitty hushed, but she was laughing a little. "You're absolutely beautiful. I wish I had hair as vibrant as yours. There are loads of men out there… you're bound to catch one's eye."

Lily smiled, but did not reply.

Kitty raised an eyebrow. "Unless you've already got your eye on one?"

Lily felt her face turn a deep red, instantly knowing what she was talking about. "No one in particular."

"Really?" Kitty grinned mischievously as she caught Lily's flushed cheeks. "No fish perhaps with a name that starts with the letter 'J'?"

Lily thought her cheeks would fall off, they were so hot. She tried to hush Kitty, who was giggling madly at her discomfort. She would have denied the idea of her harboring feelings for James Potter profusely, of course… if she knew for a fact that she did not. It was a topic she'd been debating internally for a while now and she'd reached no satisfactory conclusions.

"Oh be quiet," Lily said crossly. "What does it matter anyway? Nothing's ever going to come of it."

"Ah, don't say that," Kitty soothed. "You never know. Perhaps he has feelings for you as well!"

Lily huffed. "I _never_ said I – oh shut up, seriously," she added as Kitty burst into giggles again. "You're insufferable, _Katerina_." With that, Lily shoved Kitty, who landed on the wooden floor with a loud _thump_ and an _Ouch!_

* * *

><p>"Mr. Petracelli!" James said in surprise as the door opened before he could knock. He was standing at the top of some stairs in front of a small cottage – It was a nice house, James thought. It was brown with red shutters and was terraced to the other houses on the street; it had personality. The street lamps had been lit, even though it wasn't dark yet, and people were bustling up and down the narrow street as it was about that time to start heading home.<p>

Mr. Petracelli was dressed for a day out. He had a black hat placed tilted on his light brown hair and a light briefcase in one hand. At the sight of James, he started but then a relieved look spread over his face.

"Ah, there you are. James, isn't it? I was afraid you wouldn't show up on time."

"Oh," James watched as the tall man shut the door behind him and hurried past him down the stairs. "Forgive me, I thought you would be having dinner -"

"No time m'boy," Mr. Petracelli said as he straightened the hat on his head. "I've been called for  
>important business today at the castle. The castle's librarian needs some information on fire weavers and requested my audience at six. Will be late if I don't hurry."<p>

"Oh," James repeated, trying to keep the disappointment from his voice. "Oh alright, I'll just -"

"Well, come along then," Mr. Petracelli said brightly, already beginning to head down the street. "You still want those questions answered, don't you?"

"You mean come _with_you? To the castle?" James called, unable to believe his ears.

"Yes child. To the castle!"

James paused for a second, then took off after him, grinning widely. He had never been inside the castle before. He and everyone else had always wondered how it would look and what could be found in it. What a treat!

"So," Mr. Petracelli said briskly as James struggled to catch up with his long strides. "The questions. Shoot."

"Okay, uh" James said breathlessly. "They're basic questions really. How did you join the Oddment people?"

"Ah," the fire weaver replied, a bit dreamily. "A tale as old as time, my dear boy. I was a young, ambitious boy – about your age actually – ready to prove myself to the world after both my parents had died from the pox. I'd worked as a servant boy for a bit, I remember... Of course, I was out of there as soon as I turned eighteen. With the money I made, I lived in Tabern Inn for a bit - you know the one not too far from here? Oh don't look like that, it wasn't as filthy back in my day. It had the loveliest landlady - ah, I remember her well... Miranda, she was called. She had hair fairer than spun gold and eyes that sparkled- "

James cleared his throat a little bit, as Mr. Petracelli appeared to have forgotten that James was still there.

"Yes, anyway. Miranda. Turns out her brother worked as a tight-rope walker for the Oddments. Wonderful man, he was. I believe he was called Sky-Walker. Strange name, don't you think? Anyway, I shan't get into that, he's dead now, bless his soul. Great man, great man. He introduced me to Jakob Fair, a fantastic fire-weaver. Best in his day! Fortunately for me Jakob was looking for a fresh young man to pass his skills down to, and apparently I looked pretty capable. The rest, as they say, is history."

"So anyone can be taught to be a fire weaver?" James asked.

"Oh not everyone," Mr. Petracelli said mildly, as they crossed the market square where people had assembled to catch up and have a good time. "You'd have to have very good reflex reactions and a good deal of agility. A sense of timing is very important as well, because playing with fire... it's an art, my dear boy. Some people think of fire as a danger, or perhaps only a source of heat; the more scientific minds tend to see it as a combination of gases, combustion, chemical elements, you know?"

James did not know but he nodded quickly and Mr. Petracelli continued.

"But to the trained eye, fire is the most tangible of visible mysteries. The soft cracking, the subtle whispers of the flames, the floating embers... it's all a language that only some can understand. Note that I said understand and not control. Fire cannot be controlled; it can be caressed, it can be soothed... But never controlled."

James listened in awe. Mr. Petracelli seemed so knowledgeable, and it was then that James wondered why he was not a scribe or something of the sort.

"So this guy, Jakob Fair, does he still teach?" James asked eagerly. "Assuming he's still alive, of course."

"Oh he's alive," Mr. Petracelli said. "I don't know if he'll see you though. He's a very grumpy man, jaded with age and time. No, he'll turn you away right at his doorstep."

James heaved a sigh. Just his luck.

"So, is that what you want to do?" asked the fire weaver curiously. "You want to learn the secrets of the flame?"

James hesitated. "I don't really know... It'd be... the most amazing thing ever to travel with the Oddment People... but I don't even know how to join... And it'd be a bit impractical, I think. I'd rather be settled down in a little cottage somewhere. And besides I don't have any skills to join anyways."

Mr. Petracelli nodded. "Completely understandable. Life gets a bit crazy when you're one of the Oddments. Nonetheless, it never hurts to try. Don't forget, I was about your age when I learned my trade – oh great, we're there," he added brightly, breaking James out of deep thought. The castle gates were before them, but unlike on the day of the festival, they were closed shut, and there were only two guards at the front who let them both in without much trouble.

James reminisced fondly of the festival as they walked into the Outer Courtyard, which looked strangely large and empty. It was a lot cleaner now, and only a few gardeners could be found trimming the shrubs or watering the grass. Oh, the festival had been such fun. He'd even brought back a few things for Oliver and the boys. Sadly, their one day of fun was over and they'd been busy ever since. More and more maidens were visiting the Manor each day and the staff had been working their hardest.

"Mustn't dally, m'boy," Mr. Petracelli called, and James realized with a start that he was already far ahead of him. "We'll be late!"

James hurried forward and caught up with him just as Mr. Petracelli slipped past a few men-at-arms guarding the second pair of gates. It was strangely windier and quieter in the Inner courtyard. The grand castle sat in the middle, surrounded by groves of trees, and the air was filled with the scents of many flowers, some of which James didn't recognize. Heart pounding excitedly, he stepped on to the winding stone path and followed Mr. Petracelli in to the castle.

''''

"No, no don't go in _there_," Mr. Petracelli hissed. "That's the armory room!"

James drew back his hand quickly from the doorknob he'd just been about to turn. They had been walking down a wide corridor lit with flaming torches and James had seen a door to his right, and was instantly fascinated – everything in the castle was like a whole new world to him! - before Mr. Petracelli scolded him.

"Unpermitted entry into that door could get you thrown into the dungeons for a month," he warned. "I know you're excited to be here, but don't do _anything_ I don't do, alright?"

James saluted, grinning. "Cheers, Mr. Petracelli."

The fire weaver smiled at him and beckoned him forward. They had reached a narrow stone staircase that spiraled all the way up a tower. James looked at it in awe, never having seen the inside of a tower before. He was beside himself with excitement. _Him_, James Potter, servant to the Snape Manor, in the royal castle. What would Sirius say about this?

The castle was enormous! Everything seemed to be a bigger size: the furniture, the windows, the walls, even the paintings. Even so, they hadn't run into anyone yet, excluding the men-at arms in front of the doors, so it appeared a bit desolated.

James grinned as they started to climb the stairs. He could already see Sirius scowling with jealousy.

"Do you come here often, Mr. Petracelli?" James panted, after a couple of minutes climbing. "It looks like you know your way around this castle pretty well."

"I come as I'm needed," he replied cheerfully, his breathing perfectly normal.

James would have asked him to elaborate, but he was too breathless. How far up was this tower going to go? He tried to distract himself from the burn in his legs by glancing at the war paintings that hung on the wall as they passed, but even that did not help him. At last, they reached the top of the stairs where a large wooden door sat, already slightly opened.

"The Royal Library," Mr. Petracelli announced as he pushed the door open to reveal a large, high-ceilinged room. James was not much for books – in fact, he wasn't even fantastic at reading. He preferred to look at the illustrations in a book rather than the long, confusing words. However, he was completely astounded by the enormous library before him.

Rows and rows of books were illuminated by the sunlight filtering through the large windows. There were hundreds of books – no, thousands! And not just the cheap stacks of parchment joined together by taut strings, but the heavy, leather-bound books with intricate artwork on the binding. There were plush chairs near the walls of the library (where James assumed the inhabitants of the castle sat to receive their daily literary pleasures), and little lamps every few meters apart on the walls. Thick, white pillars that rose up to meet the dark, ridged ceiling stood between the marble bookcases. Racks of scrolls covered the walls and narrow walkways stood between them, leading into higher parts of the enormous room. James was sure he could have spent at least five more minutes simply gaping at the library, but a stern voice interrupted his admiring.

"I did say to be here by six, you know."

Both Mr. Petracelli and James' heads whipped around. A short, balding man was standing at the left corner of the room by a large easel, giving them haughty looks.

"Ah, terribly sorry Jules," Mr. Petracelli said merrily, stepping forward to meet the man. James followed him quickly. "You must forgive my tardiness. It is only five minutes past six, after all."

"Promptness has never been your style, Graham, I know _that _much," the man, Jules, sniffed. "But perhaps for once it would benefit you to at least _try_ to be here on time. There are many other fire-weavers out there ready to supply the information I need, I guarantee you."

It took James a moment to understand to whom Jules was referring to but then he realized that Mr. Petracelli must have a first name. He glanced curiously between the two men, and stuffed his hands in his pockets awkwardly. Jules didn't acknowledge James, but perhaps it was better that way. He seemed a snappy, impatient sort of man, but Mr. Petracelli appeared not to notice his rudeness or was simply used to it, because he merely threw himself wearily on to the plush armchair that sat beside them and pulled out a handkerchief.

"I'm sure there are," he said, mopping at his slightly clammy forehead. It appeared the climb had worn him out more than he'd let on. "I'm afraid you must bear with me, the wife held me up a little."

Jules sniffed again and turned back to the easel he was standing by. A large canvas was placed on it, and he seemed to be in the middle of painting something that James craned his head to catch a glimpse of. He breathed in sharply as he saw one of the most beautiful paintings he'd ever laid eyes on. It wasn't done – all that was on it was a stage and a few fire weavers on it, fire billowing out from their lips. But that was enough. It was so detailed and colored that James could see the tension and the concentration on each of their faces. The light streaming from the window made it seem like the fire was actually dancing on the paper. Would the paper be as hot as the fire looked? James felt an overwhelming desire to reach out with his hand and touch it…

"Keep your hands to yourself boy!" Jules snapped, and James dropped his hand immediately. "This is going on the cover of a book, personally requested by the king himself!" He turned to Mr. Petracelli angrily. "Is this why you've brought the boy? To ruin days and days of my work?"

"Oh calm down, Jules," Mr. Petracelli said wearily. "He's a curious boy, that's all."

"I do not condone curiosity in my library," Jules said, waving a large paintbrush around so that James had to take a step back to avoid getting painted in the face. "Haven't you ever heard the phrase 'curiosity killed the cat?' Of course, in this case it applies to my precious paintings. That's the problem with you teens!" he spat, and James raised an eyebrow. "Walking around thinking you can do as you please, stealing things and being a nuisance in general. Oh, I have one just like you! Same dark hair, same arrogant face – he could have been a fine painter! But instead he decided to run on off with that wench of a –"

Mr. Petracelli let out a loud cough, cutting Jules rant short. He quickly said, "Er… right, James why don't you go on and have a look through the library? There are some things I believe you'd actually find very interesting –" Jules glared at him and Mr. Petracelli quickly added, "You won't ruin anything, of course. I'll let you know as soon as I'm done here. It won't take long, I promise."

James shrugged and slinked off towards the shelves. He was rather excited to see what he could find. Thousands and thousands of secrets must be here, in this library! After all, wasn't that what books were for? To record memories and happenings, some known, some unknown… Maybe he could even find something incriminating about the Snape's!

James browsed through the volumes delightedly, reaching for things he thought had interesting titles or bindings. Words jumped up at him from the pages, words he'd never even heard of before… _it is said that the Kindly Ones migrated from a faraway land in the South… with the help of over twenty and three hundred men, he shaped the city of Kansted… are often considered to be mythical creatures but sightings over the years could prove otherwise…_

As he scanned the yellowing parchment of a particularly large scroll, unfamiliar footsteps broke the silence. James started and let the scroll roll back up in surprise. He had thought he was the only amongst the shelves, for some strange reason. Placing the scroll back quietly in the rack, he turned and waited for the person to appear, but it sounded like they had turned into another aisle. There were _two_ pairs of footsteps now. He was about to turn round and peruse the scrolls again when their voices drifted up to him from behind the bookcase.

"... don't know how many times I have to tell you, Sergay -"

"I'm afraid you rather underestimate me, princess."

James froze. _Princess_? As in, Princess Roselyn?

_Of course it's Princess Roselyn_, he scolded himself. _Which other princess is there in Diagon?_

For a wild moment, James considered running away, or, worse, going up to talk to her, but then he shook his head. If he could at least catch a glimpse of her…

Feeling very stupid indeed, James crouched slightly by the bookshelf and shifted a couple of books to the side so he could peer through the other side. Yes, it was definitely the princess. He could see her beautiful face, walking slowly with a well-dressed man that James did not recognize by her side… oh, wait, he _did_ recognize him. It was the man who'd sat in the carriage beside Roselyn on the day of the festival. Up close, James could see he had a shadow of stubble on his chin and an even more arrogant expression on his face. He instantly disliked him.

"On the contrary," Roselyn said, her tone exasperated as they stopped and turned to face each other, "it's apparent that I've overestimated you. Leave me be, Sergay, I've told you I'm not interested."

Sergay didn't seem fazed. He gave her a smile which came across a little cold to James. "It escapes me why you are so opposed to my advances. We would make a great alliance, Roselyn. One that even your father –"

"Has absolutely no say in, as it is _my_ life and _my_ decision as to whom I marry," she finally snapped, glaring at him in earnest. "Why do you keep pushing it?"

James got the feeling that he was not supposed to be listening to this conversation. Well, eavesdropping was wrong on any occasion, but this conversation seemed particularly private. He told himself he should walk away and pretend he'd never heard anything, but he was rooted to the spot.

"Do not flatter yourself," the man snapped in return. "I merely ask for the sake of Parvahal. I will suspend my proposal for the time being, but I hope for your sake that your eye is placed on a suitor apt for the throne."

The princess looked at him darkly. "What exactly are you-"

"What other reason would there be for you to reject me? Of course, you must have found some other man to satisfy your own selfish needs!"

Roselyn seemed to be incapable of speaking for a moment; she was so angry. "_My selfish needs_? _My _selfish needs? How _dare_ you? Are you so egotistical as to believe that the reason for my refusal is my own frivolity, not your unmerited arrogance and callousness? My dear Sergay, I am many things, but I am not a fool, and accepting your proposal would be the height of foolishness. I know a fraud when I see one." Sergay opened his mouth angrily but she cut him off loudly.

"And as for your ridiculous accusations, I'll have you know that I do _not_ have my eye on any particular suitor yet and am still in the process of finding one. As a matter of fact, I will be leaving to the Snape's in some weeks to see if I find their son suitable. But I assure you, I _will_ let you know when I find someone _apt for the throne_."

James couldn't help but mentally cheer for the princess, even though he wasn't completely sure what was going on. He also couldn't help his heart speeding up with excitement at the thought of the _princess_ coming to the Manor soon! Surely, the princess would not find Snape suitable – the thought of Severus Snape and Roselyn Cates getting married was highly ludicrous – but it would be mere courtesy for her stick to around for at least a week.

Unlike James, however, Sergay was furious. He said nothing – his composure would not allow it – but James could quite clearly see the muscle that was jumping in his clenched jaw. He and the princess said nothing for a few moments before he finally gave her a swift bow and stalked off. James watched the princess stare stonily at his retreating back, but as soon as he was out of sight, she slumped against one of the shelves, sighing deeply.

_About time to leave_, James thought to himself. He'd done enough eavesdropping for today.

Though he'd quite have liked to watch Roselyn for a few more minutes, he withdrew silently from the shelf he'd been staring through and took a few steps back, intending to walk down to the further aisles and check up on Mr. Petracelli. It did not go as planned. He took a step too far back and crashed into the racks of scrolls behind him with a resounding _clash_! Scrolls tumbled down to the floor, creating even more noise, and James stupidly tried to shush them before he remembered that they were inanimate objects.

"Who is there?" Roselyn's demanding voice came from the other aisle.

James mentally kicked himself and did not answer. Why was he so stupid sometimes? He heard hurried footsteps come his way and he knew the princess was coming. He quickly tried to stuff the scrolls back on the rack, but in his haste he knocked some more down.

"Are you alright, good sir?"

James head swiveled to his right. She was standing there, hands folded in front of her and an inquiring look on her face. He took in her glowing skin, her long, curly hair, and her elegant dress the color of the Cerulean blue, and became acutely aware of his faded, worn clothes.

"Quite alright!" James said, a little too cheerfully, as he scooped up a great portion of the scrolls and piled them back on to the rack. He hoped they hadn't been placed alphabetically or anything of the sort. When he'd gotten the last one back up, he bowed clumsily to the princess who was watching him curiously. "A little slip of my footing, Your Highness. I hope I didn't interrupt anything."

Roselyn's eyes swept over him and James willed himself not too flush. He hoped he didn't look guilty. However, the princess seemed not to notice his guiltiness. She replied with a cock of her head. "Nothing of much importance."

James gave another bow and began to leave before he made an even bigger fool of himself. He walked past her, making sure not to brush her in anyway, and the sweet smell of vanilla reached his nose. Breathing in deeply, he was about to turn away from the aisle when he heard her call out to him.

"Hang on there, what's your name?"

He was so startled he almost tripped. Why would the princess possibly want to know his name? He was only a lowly servant and it wasn't hard to tell by his clothes.

"James," he replied, turning around to face her again. "I'm called James."

She tilted her head to the side again, amusement glinting faintly in her eyes. "Perhaps you are called that, but is that your _name_?"

James couldn't help it. He raised an eyebrow and smiled at her. Only a princess would pick up on something like that. "I fail to see the difference, my lady. But if you so insist, I'll clarify that James _is_ my name."

Roselyn looked at him hard for a few moments and James looked back at her, wondering if she was going to tell him why she had asked him.

"James," she mumbled to herself. "Tell me _James_, you seem awfully familiar. We haven't met by any chance, have we?"

James stared at her, unable to believe his ears. Certainly he'd seen _her_ many times… and there was that time during the festival that she'd looked directly at him – James had not been able to forget it – but seeing someone didn't necessarily clarify as meeting them, did it? Perhaps she was thinking of someone else. There _were_ a lot of dark-haired, young men out there in Diagon, after all.

"No," he said finally. "No, I don't believe we have."

She looked like she was about to reply but James cut her off quickly with another swift bow. "Forgive me, princess, I beg your leave." And he hurried off, leaving her with a surprised look on her face.

James cursed himself as he made his way back to Mr. Petracelli. Why had he just run off like that? Just typical of him. He'd waited his whole life to have a conversation with Roselyn, and when he finally had, he'd run off. Sighing deeply, he shoved his bands back into his pockets and shuffled back to the far corner of the library where Jules and Mr. Petracelli were still talking. He had to start heading off soon anyway, with or without Mr. Petracelli. It wasn't a Sunday, so he didn't have half the day off; Sirius and Remus had agreed to cover for him, but if the Snape's noticed he was gone - or perhaps one of those annoying boys who almost worshiped them - there would be hell to pay.

"Ah James, I was just about to call for you," Mr. Petracelli said rising from his chair. "We're just about done here, I believe. Jules…"

Jules rolled his eyes. Dropping his paintbrush, he pulled out a little silver purse that jingled from his pocket and handed it to Mr. Petracelli, who bowed in return.

"Always a pleasure doing business, Jules," he said cheerfully and put his hat back on. "I won't be late next time, you can count on it."

Jules sniffed, "If there is a next time," but he nodded to them as they left.

* * *

><p>"Bye Cook, I'll see you tomorrow!" Lily yelled at the large man's figure retreating down the street. He turned and waved at her, his grin visible even from where she stood at the door.<p>

Lily smiled affectionately and hitched the bucket of clothes higher on her hip. She shut the door behind her and made her way to the kitchens, where the last dishes from dinner were being put away and the staff were lazing about. At the center of the kitchen, Sirius, Remus, and McCollins were trying to play hacky sack with a tea towel. She and a few others laughed when the towel landed on McCollins' face, temporarily blinding him. Shaking her head, she approached the back door and threw it open. It was Juliet's day to do laundry, but she'd developed a fever, and Lily had offered to hang the rest of the wet clothes on the line. She didn't mind. It was a nice night and she hadn't been doing anything anyway.

The warm August wind blew her hair softly away from her face as she stepped out into the backyard. The sky was dark, but the lights from the Manor windows provided enough light for Lily to see what she was doing. Feeling strangely contented, she headed towards the line, breathing in the scent of the purple wisteria that climbed the walls of the manor.

Lily had only hung up a couple of clothes when the hedge in front of her started to rustle. She started, her mind instantly jumping to thieves and robbers, but then she rolled her eyes and smiled as a mop of jet black hair came into sight.

"Halt sir, you've been caught trespassing!" Lily called seriously as the whole of James' body appeared. "Resist and you will face some serious consequences."

James straightened himself up, a wide smile lighting his face as he caught sight of her. He dusted the stray leaves off his clothes as he made his way towards her, a serious expression struggling to stay on his face. "Aw darn, I was hoping to nick some sweets and make a quick getaway."

"We don't keep sweets," Lily sniffed, "so it looks like you'll be going to jail in vain."

"Jail!" James said in mock outrage. "You can't do that, I'm a good guy, I swear! Isn't there anything I can do?"

Lily shook her head sadly. "Well there's this one thing… but you wouldn't want to do that…"

"What is it?" he grinned, leaning forward. There was a mischievous glint his eyes and Lily thought she felt her stomach do a weird flip turn. He really was handsome… with his pretty hazel eyes… and his charming, crooked grin… and his untidy dark hair that was almost falling into his eyes…

"You need a haircut," Lily mused.

James gave her an astonished look. "That's it? Just a haircut and you'll let me off? Wow Lily, remind me to leave Parvahal as fast as I can if _you're_ ever queen."

She stuck her tongue out at him and turned back to the bucket, trying to look at him no longer than she needed to. It was a bit uncomfortable, really. Feeling at ease with James was something she'd always prized, but now she found herself doing weird little things like counting the freckles on his nose, or admiring his jaw line, or looking for flaws on his face. It was a bit annoying.

"So where are you coming from?" Lily asked, trying to shoo away the thoughts from her head.

James bent to pick up a cloth from the bucket and spread it out on the line. "I was out with Mr. Petracelli."

"Oh you had dinner with him, didn't you?" Lily vaguely remembered him telling her something about it. "Anything interesting happen?"

James nodded and explained to her how they'd gone up to the castle instead. Lily stopped spreading the clothes and listened in wonder. He'd gone up to the castle! And he'd been to the Royal Library, which Lily had been dying to do since she was twelve. How unfair!

"Oh, and get this," James continued excitedly. "I was up there looking for something to blackmail the Snape's with, and guess who I run into? The princess!"

Lily blinked. "Princess Roselyn?" she asked stupidly.

He rolled his eyes. "Yes, angel, there _is_ only one princess in Diagon. Anyway, I overheard – well, I more _eavesdropped_ but that's beside the point. I heard her having a little tiff with that man in the red robes we saw at the festival. Remember him? Yes, well apparently the princess is looking for someone to marry and he's a little upset about it."

"Oh," Lily said, but if she were honest, she really didn't give a flying hoot about the princess and her courtship woes. She began to spread the clothes again. "So did you talk to her then?"

"Yeah, I did."

Lily paused midway to the bucket and looked at him in astonishment. "You're _joking_."

"Serious as Sirius," James grinned.

Lily waved off the over worn joke and brushed her hair out of her face. "What did you _say_? Why would she talk to _you_?" She winced as the last question came out a bit harsher than she expected. "Sorry, that came out wrong. I mean… how? Did she just stop to talk to you in the library? Did _you_ talk to _her_?"

Lily wasn't sure why she was so curious. She hoped she didn't come off as anxious. James only flushed a little and said, "Well… I was a little… disorganized and she asked me how I was, and I told her I was fine… then she asked for my name and -"

"She asked for your _name_?" Lily asked, astonished. James glared at her from across the line. "Sorry, sorry, this is just _strange_. Keep going."

"Right, she asked for my name and I told her it was James, and then," he hesitated, "that was it. We both made our goodbyes and Mr. Petracelli and I left."

She stared at him. James started talking about something again, but she wasn't paying any attention to his words. Why had the princess asked for his name? Since when did princesses go around asking for the names of lowly servants? It didn't make any sense. Why _James_?

Lily shook her head, trying to clear her head of the jumble of confusing thoughts. She was thinking way too much into this. So what if she'd asked for his name? It wasn't a bloody marriage proposal. In fact, maybe the princess usually went around asking the names of people who she ran into. Perhaps she was only being polite. It couldn't mean anything more.

"… even listening to me?" James annoyed voice came, and Lily quickly refocused on him.

"Er... what was that?" she asked sheepishly.

James rolled his eyes, but she could see the corners of his lips tugging upward. "You're so spacey sometimes. I mentioned that the princess is coming to the Manor in a few weeks. Isn't that exciting?"

She almost choked on her own spit. "_What_? _This _manor? Whatever for?"

"Like I said, she's looking for a suitor," James shrugged, "and I guess Snivellus is an automatic option because of who his father is. Of course, I highly doubt she'll be interested in him. Can you even imagine him getting married? Because I certainly can't," he mused. "Good God, think about his _children_… little hook-nosed kids running around… greasing up the place. I think I'd quit."

Lily forced a laugh, but she thought it came out genuine because James smiled at her and bent to pick up another wet cloth from the bucket. Her mind was reeling again. She felt extremely pathetic for getting so troubled about the princess, but how could she not? Roselyn was incredibly beautiful, no denying that, and James was almost obsessed with her. Lily had never been worried because Roselyn had always been unreachable, but now she was coming to the Manor… and for who knew how long…

Lily mentally kicked herself. This was silly. Since when did she turn into one of those catty girls who got easily jealous? James wasn't even _hers_… and even though the thought made her sick to her stomach, James could date whomever he pleased, be it a wench or Princess Roselyn. Besides, that was highly unlikely. She was the _princess_, and James, albeit being charming, sweet and funny, was just James the servant boy. Nothing could ever possibly come of _that_.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** So... what'd you think? Ahem, I wrote you guys an 8,000 word chapter, I think you can leave a 20 word review. ;)

Thanks to my fucking _amazing_ beta **Pointless Nostalgic**.

IMPORTANT: Well, it's not all that important lol, but I just wanted you guys to know... if you want to know what the Snape Manor looks like, look up _Nymans Gardens _on the internet. That's kind of how I imagined everything to look like... a little less isolated though.

Thanks for all the LOVELY reviews I got last chapter! You guys are beautiful, beautiful people. :) Now if you'd just leave some more in that box down there for me to squeal over during my Spring Break trip, that would be fantastic! I'm a review whore, sue me.

x

D

_Next Chapter: I have no idea lol. _


	4. The Leaky Cauldron

Virgo et Vernula

Chapter 4: The Leaky Cauldron

* * *

><p><strong>L O R D<strong> Snape made the official announcement to his staff of Roselyn's oncoming arrival a couple of weeks later. The few people who didn't already know let out loud groans as they all filed back into the kitchen after the announcement. Despite the fact that they were already working so hard, the manor would have to be made as neat as a new pin because the _princess_ was coming, and anything less than spotless would not do. To worsen the situation, Severus hadn't taken an interest in any one of the maidens – not a single one! The flow of beautiful young women didn't seem likely to stop any time soon.

James Potter appeared to be the only one who wasn't upset about the princess' approaching arrival. "Come on people," he said encouragingly to them all. "It won't be that bad! At least all the other maidens will be gone by the time she's here."

Sirius told him to shut up. Lily privately agreed.

"He's so stupid," she found herself muttering to Kitty as the two girls returned to the Entrance Hall, where they'd been scrubbing the ground. As she dropped back down to her knees, Lily grabbed a sponge and scrubbed furiously at the marbled floor. "It's going to be awful—I don't know what he's talking about."

"I know," Kitty agreed darkly, plunging the soapy dishrag into the bucket of water. "I almost wish I was leaving before the princess got here. She's going to be a bloody nightmare."

Lily felt a slight twinge of satisfaction at Kitty's words. As petty as it was, she didn't want to be the only one who resented Princess Roselyn. Well... perhaps, resentment was too strong a word. After all, she'd never actually met the princess and it wasn't right to judge her without knowing her first. With that thought, Lily pushed down her negativity and tried to find some positives in their upcoming guest's stay … she found none.

When they were finished with their job, they carried the rags and buckets to the kitchen. As they poured the filthy water down the sinks, the door swung open to reveal the dark form of Sirius Black, alone, and in his day clothes. Seeing him without James or Remus was always a strange sight, like seeing a dog with a missing leg. He looked around the deserted kitchen once and grinned as he caught sight of the two girls peering at him curiously.

"It's okay to stare," he teased as he reached them and plopped onto the countertop beside the sink. "I am blindingly handsome, I get it."

Lily rolled her eyes. She could never tell if Sirius was joking, or if he really was that arrogant. She'd guessed it fell somewhere in the middle.

"Oh bugger off Sirius," Kitty scowled. "We were having a perfectly lovely conversation before you came along."

"Aw, don't be like that," he said sincerely. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm sure it was a fascinating conversation and I'm sorry for interrupting."

The two girls had just about finished and were drying off their hands when they paused to look at Sirius suspiciously. Sirius never apologized. Ever.

"What do you want, Black?" Kitty asked warily. "If it's to exchange duty times again, let me just let you know right now that the answer is no."

"Oh no," the dark haired boy leaned forward, mischief sparkling in his eyes, "it's not about what I want, it's about what you want."

Lily raised an eyebrow. "Cut the riddles Sirius, what is this actually about?"

He grinned and leaned back against the wall, folding his arms. "You ruin all my fun, Lily."

"We'll just leave you to it then," she rolled her eyes. "Come on, Kitty."

They didn't get very far before Sirius bounced off the countertop and planted himself firmly in front of them.

"Come out with me," he said before they could tell him off. "Just a few drinks, my treat."

Lily stared at him then glanced pointedly around the dark kitchen. "Tonight? Are you mad? We don't even have permission to leave -"

"Who's going to find out?" he shrugged. "Go on Lily. Live a little."

She exchanged glances with Kitty. It wasn't exactly a bad idea. He was right; she'd been out after curfew plenty of times and had never gotten caught once. There was just something off about the way Sirius was standing with his arms in his pockets, waiting for them to give him an answer...

"Where's James?" Lily asked suddenly. "Or Remus for that matter? Why are you going alone?"

She expected him to look at her guiltily and mumble something about them having a fight - for what other reason would Sirius be going out without them - but he only clapped her on her back and said cheerfully, "I'm not going alone, am I? I'm going with you both! The lads are too tired tonight, so scurry along and go grab your coats. It's a bit chilly."

He pushed them both gently towards the door. "It feels great always being your first choice," Kitty said, amused.

"You should be honored," he bowed.

Twenty minutes later, all three were nearing a quaint, little, timber-framed pub with blue shingles scattered on the roof. Lily pulled her long coat tighter as the relentless wind tugged on her clothes and coppery hair. Fall was fast approaching this year and she felt a pang at the thought of an end to hot summer days and twittering birds.

Kitty shivered beside Lily and they both rolled their eyes. They hadn't even been out of the manor for ten minutes and the night was already looking bleak. So much for Sirius' great ideas. Lily glanced at him and rolled her eyes again, for it seemed that he had developed immunity to cold weather. He hadn't even brought a coat for goodness sake! His hands were stuffed in his pockets and his cheeks were a bit flushed, but otherwise he showed no signs of being disturbed by the weather. He caught Lily looking at him and shot her a grin as they approached the little building.

A wooden sign being pushed by the wind swung back in forth in front of the pub. Lily didn't need to glance at it to know what it read - The Leaky Cauldron. It was one of the most popular pubs in Diagon, being one of the only pubs that actually offered accommodations for their customers. Lights were blazing through windows, even though it was eleven at night, and shadows flickered behind them, making the pub look lively. Eager to retreat into warmth, the trio hurried into the pub.

The Leaky Cauldron did not disappoint. It was warm inside – so warm that Lily felt it was safe to pull off her woolly hat as soon as they shut the door behind them. Running her hands through her hair, she inspected the lantern-lit room.

It looked the same as it did every time she walked in. It was a small, rectangular room, with dark wooden walls and small windows that had its grilles criss-crossed over the glass. Strange ornaments like pots and figurines sat on the shelves that clung to the walls, giving the pub a strangely cluttered look. It wasn't the cleanest place in Diagon, but Lily was at least sure she would not catch any diseases.

_The strangest people come here at night_, she thought, slightly amused. It was true. Even now, the many occupants of the pub included a tall hooded man (or was that a woman?), a large group of dirty, heavily muscled men that were almost definitely pirates, a man with a hook for a hand, and a woman so short Lily was sure she could have qualified for a midget. The familiar man behind the counter, Tom, waved over at them, grinning toothily and they waved back at him cheerfully.

"Aren't you glad you came along?" Sirius smirked, as they slid into an empty booth behind the large men.

"I have to admit," Lily said, peeling off her coat, "it's nice leaving the manor for a little bit."

"And as soon as we get those free drinks you promised us, it'll be like I never regretted coming in the first place," Kitty added genially, sidling up beside Lily.

He grinned at them from the opposite side of the booth and peered out the dusty window beside them. Dark clouds were rolling across the sky, blocking out the hundreds of stars that dotted it. Even as they watched, a flash of lightening struck the sky, illuminating the little cottages that lined the cobblestoned street. A storm was coming. Lily shivered involuntarily; she had never liked thunderstorms. They always made her feel small and powerless.

"Can I get you anything?"

All three heads swiveled around to see a short, blonde waitress holding a little notepad ready in her hands. She gave them a small smile and waggled the pen in her fingers. "Haven't got all day, darlings."

"Three Butterbeers please." Sirius smiled charmingly at her. Lily snorted as the waitress blushed faintly and walked away, scribbling furiously on her notepad. She wasn't surprised; it wasn't uncommon for girls to swoon or giggle when Sirius was around. Even James for that matter. James, however, possessed an air of modesty that made him mildly surprised every time a girl found him attractive – his total obliviousness just made Lily want to smack him sometimes – while Sirius knew he was attractive and he never hesitated to use it to his advantage.

Although, Lily thought as she inspected the dark haired boy, it wasn't hard to see why. Sirius had especially enchanting eyes, grey and stormy like the sky on a rainy day. His hair was soft and long, sprawled elegantly on his clear forehead. He was tall - he towered over Lily- and not scrawny like James, but a little muscular. In fact, he was more handsome than most of the knights on the King's court, and his winning smile and ever-present confidence only added to his appeal.

"Are you staring at me, Lily?" Sirius teased and Lily snapped out of her reverie. "Potentially problematic but it's flattering. Do keep on."

"Potentially problematic?" she asked. "What's that supposed to mean?" Lily looked to her right to exchange glances with Kitty but the blonde was stifling giggles into her napkin.

Sirius had that mischievous glint in his eyes again. He leaned forward and drummed his fingers on the wooden table. "Tell me Lily," he said. "Do you think my best mate, James, is a good looking lad?"

Against her own volition, Lily felt blood rush up to her cheeks. She opened her mouth, but was saved by the waitress returning with three steaming mugs of Butterbeer. It was a good thing, really, because she had no idea what she would have said anyway.

"What?" Sirius asked innocently, wrapping his hands around the mug. Lily glared at him. There was no way he didn't catch her flushed cheeks. "He's your best mate, isn't he? He's my best mate too and I have no qualms admitting that he's not exactly hard to look at. Wouldn't you agree?"

"I suppose," she shrugged, hoping to appear nonchalant. It didn't work. Sirius was full on smirking at her as if he knew something she didn't, which was probably true.

"You suppose," Sirius repeated, looking amused.

Lily snapped, "Oh shut _up_, Sirius. You're so bloody annoying sometimes. And you," she said, turning to a giggling Kitty, "are the worst mate on the planet. Seriously, you're _supposed _to help me out in these kinds of situations. Let me guess, you went ahead and told him, didn't you?"

"Told him what, dearest Lily flower?" Kitty said, trying and failing to stifle her laughter.

"Yes, told me what?" Sirius interjected, grinning.

Lily sighed and leaned back into the chair, rubbing her temples.

"I strongly dislike you two."

She picked up her mug and took a slow sip. The frothy liquid ran down her throat, sending warmth all through her body. Butterbeer really was the most amazing drink in the world, she thought. It tasted like melted caramel, or perhaps it was toffee, she couldn't be sure. It was a pity that she didn't get to drink it much. They were about a sixpence a pint, which was close to how much she made a week. She loved the drink, but she had more important things to spend her money on. Considering that, it was nice for Sirius to take them out tonight. Strange… but nice.

"You should tell him, you know."

Lily averted her eyes from the hanging lantern she'd been staring at and glanced at Sirius. He'd dropped his drained mug and was wiping his upper lip with the back of his hand. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Tell who what?"

He opened his mouth to reply, but Kitty cut him off before he could speak.

"Oh come off it, Lily," she sighed, "you know perfectly well he's talking about James. You should tell him how you feel."

Lily's initial impulse was to roll her eyes and protest against their accusations, or maybe a sarcastic comment would throw them off track. But then she felt something inside her deflate, as though someone had punctured a balloon in her stomach. Her shoulders slumped and she sighed.

"I don't know what I feel," she admitted.

Kitty's eyes were sparkling. It was the first time Lily hadn't stomped on any talk of her and James. Squealing happily, Kitty grabbed her in a fierce hug.

"Oh Lily, don't you see?" she pulled back and squeezed Lily's cheeks merrily."You like him! You need to go back up to the manor right now and tell him exactly how you feel and then -"

"Wait, wait hang on a minute," Lily said indignantly, brushing off Kitty's hands from her face. "First off, Kitty, two words. _Personal space._ I've told you over and over again, this is _my _bubble," she mimed a large circle around her, "and you're not allowed to enter. Second, I'm not going to _tell_ him!"

Kitty blanched. "What?

"I said I'm not going to tell him."

Kitty's long ponytail swung wildly as she turned to exchange disbelieving glances with Sirius. Lily sighed again and folded her arms. There was no way Kitty would understand. Kitty was - and had always been - an _act first, think later_ sort of person. She believed in following your heart and not your brain – quite unlike Lily who thought that the brain was more likely to lead you out of trouble.

"Why not?" Sirius cried. "You know, because of you I now owe Remus two shillings -"

"Because of _me_?"

"It's not important," he said impatiently. "My point is that you need to hitch up your skirt and tell James how you feel. He's leaving the manor next summer, you know, so it's _critical_ that you grab the bull by the horns, take a leap of faith, throw caution to the wind, whichever persuasive idioms you may want to use, and just do it!"

Lily glared at him and said, "Oh you think so? You tell me, Sirius, since you're so determined to play matchmaker. Has James ever told you that he has feelings for me?"

He hesitated, which pretty much answered Lily's question. She continued on, her voice a little cold.

"Has he ever hinted at wanting to be with me?"

Sirius' eyes flickered. "Lily, it doesn't -"

"Matter? You don't think it matters" she asked mildly. "Well I think it does. Look, both of you," she glanced pointedly at Kitty as well, "I love having James as a friend. Really. And I don't want to ruin that anytime soon by making him uncomfortable. So right now, I'm content with our relationship. And besides, are you forgetting the 'no followers' rule?"

Kitty rolled her eyes. "Come on Lily, no one listens to that. Loads of people have had secret relationships in the manor and gotten away with it. Remember Jack and Adelaide? They dated for two whole _years_ before Jack proposed and then they quit, got married and lived happily ever after. No big deal." She shrugged slightly and took a small sip of her drink.

"Yeah, I do remember them actually." The redhead crossed her arms. "I also remember Aileen and Simon. _They _got caught. _They _got dismissed. And quite frankly, I can't risk this job at the moment. So, any relationships _I'm_ pursuing will just have to wait."

Kitty groaned and flopped back in the chair, looking disappointed. Sirius rolled his eyes, and then glanced down at his empty cup. He stood up, swirling the remaining contents around in it. "I just hope you'll be saying that when some other girl comes along. Listen, I'll be right back, I'm going to get another drink."

Lily watched as he walked towards the counter with an uncomfortable feeling in her stomach. Some other girl? Another girl? For the second time in two weeks, the image of James getting married to a faceless stranger flashed briefly across her mind, and Lily had to shake her head slightly to get it out. James wasn't pursuing a relationship, let alone a _marriage_. He'd told her so last year, when she'd teasingly asked him when he was going to get a girlfriend. Of course, back then the answer had only spiked her curiosity. She hadn't liked James back then. It wasn't until… hell, she didn't know when or how she'd started liking him. It'd sort of snuck up on her. Back then, James' not wanting a relationship hadn't evoked any emotion from her. Now, however, it made her want to sing. He wasn't looking for a relationship, so she had plenty of time to get her act together…

She was so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she didn't notice Kitty tugging on her sleeve anxiously.

"Lily," Kitty whispered. "Look."

Lily glanced in the direction Kitty had nodded at and frowned. Near the counter, in the darker side of the room, Sirius had stopped by the booth of mean-looking pirates. Normally, Lily wouldn't have been as alarmed, but the way the men were laughing and the slight tenseness of Sirius's shoulders seemed enough cause for concern.

"Should we go up there?" Kitty asked, a slight crease appearing on her forehead.

"I don't know," Lily muttered, narrowing her eyes at the men. They had stopped laughing and Sirius was pulling an empty barrel towards him to sit on. He leaned forward and said something unintelligible to the men. Then he quickly glanced round, and pulled out a couple of coins from his pockets.

"Right," Lily stood up, brushing her hair from her face. "When he starts bribing pirates, someone needs to step in. Come on Kitty."

Without waiting to see if Kitty was following, she began walking towards Sirius. She wondered briefly if she actually had any business going up there, and whether or not it was even _safe_. James often talked about how Sirius got himself into stupid situations because he was so rash and impulsive. And this could very well be one of those situations… maybe she should just turn back…

_Too late now_, she thought as she reached the table.

"Sirius, what's going on?" She'd intended for the question to come out strong and firm, but cringed as it came out uncertain.

All heads swiveled around to her. Lily performed a quick head count. There were nine of them – nine more than Lily would've liked. The telltale smell of rum and ale was almost overpowering this close to them. They were scruffy big men with long, unkempt hair (though a few looked like they'd tried to cut it with rough knives) and cunning faces. Each wore brown – at least she hoped they were brown – puffy shirts under rough waistcoats and breeches. Some wore caps, some wore coats, and Lily was certain she caught a glimpse of a sword peeking out from under a sash.

If their appearance didn't convince her of their pirate-hood, their reactions to her arrival certainly did.

They let out loud drunken cheers and raised their glasses, leering at Lily with their filthy teeth. She wanted to shrink away from them, but she stood her ground and turned to Sirius.

"Sirius I don't think you should be here."

They were laughing again. The man at the head of the table - a lean, muscled man with jet-black hair and the most cunning face of them all - was bellowing the loudest. He looked at Sirius, who hadn't even acknowledged Lily's words, and wiped a fake tear from his eyes.

"Look 'ere, me hearties!" he bellowed to his companions. "The lad has got a lass with 'im! A pretty one n' nonetheless, what ho!"

"What the bloody hell is going on here?" Lily felt Kitty sidle up beside her and the men let out another loud cheer.

This is getting ridiculous, Lily though exasperatedly. She tugged on Sirius' sleeve impatiently, but he only brushed her off.

"Lily, Katerina, _leave_," he said harshly.

"Awh, don't be a bad spor' mate," the black-haired man said merrily, as Lily blinked rapidly. "You want your information, let the lasses stay. 'The more, the merrier' is what I always say, isn't it, lads? 'Specially when the lasses be as pretty as this." He shot them a wink, and Lily felt her mouth curl in disgust. Pirates were known for their boorishness, but she had never really spoken to one before. The experience was not turning out to be a pleasant one.

She glanced at Sirius again. He was glaring at her, his mouth set in a straight line. He clearly did not want them there. Well, he's just going to have to deal with that, she thought grimly. She was not going to leave him there to get himself into another stupid situation… plus, she wanted to know this information he was looking for. She grabbed the second barrel sitting by the wall, pulled it towards the table and plopped down onto it, glaring right back. Sirius scowled at her, but he soon turned his head back to the table.

Kitty stood awkwardly by Lily; there were no more barrels or stools for her to sit on. The man closest to the edge of the booth grinned at her, revealing missing teeth. "Why don't ya squeeze in over here with me, poppet?"

If the situation wasn't so tense, Lily would've laughed at her friend's discomfort. Kitty stood there, disgust plain on her face. She seemed to think it over, however, and with a grimace she sat down gingerly at the edge as the men squeezed themselves further down the booth.

"Aye, now that we're all comfortable," the man said, grinning, "a bit of introductions is due, I reckon. The name's Horatio Slughorn, Captain o' the Mayflower ship, n' captain to these scalawags."The sounds of his crew's drunken protests filled the air, but Horatio waved them off. "And what'll be _your_ names?"

"I hardly think our names would be necessary," Sirius replied, his voice hard. "Especially when you won't even give us _your_ name. Your _real_ name. Horatio Slughorn, my bloody arse, how stupid do I look?"

A hush fell over the table. The pirates were no longer grinning nastily at Sirius, but were exchanging glances among themselves. Lily's unease grew as the smile fell off Horatio's face. She fervently hoped Sirius wouldn't provoke them, for she had heard pirates could get really nasty.

Her hopes were quickly dashed when he leaned over the table, his eyes narrowed.

"You're pirates," Sirius said, "and however much I may look like your typical pretty boy, I know what you do and how you work. Why would you tell me your real name? You're on the run. The King has put a price your weight in gold on your head. You're wanted men, lads." He leaned over the table and jerked his thumb backward in the direction of the counter. "Tom over there won't turn you in. He doesn't want trouble. But be assured, I won't hesitate for one second to inform the King of your arrival. So you tell me what I need to know, and leave your games out of this, and we can both go our separate ways."

Lily's breath caught, and Kitty was looking at Sirius in horror. A heavy silence had fallen over the table. Was Sirius really threatening a pirate? Lily looked at Horatio - or whatever his name was - half expecting him to whip out his sword and decapitate Sirius, but was surprised to find him smiling.

"You've got spirit boy," he said, amusement evident in his voice. "But spirit often borders on the edge of foolishness." Thunder boomed outside, and Lily could see lightning flash from the nearby window. "Look around you, there's nine of us… and only one of you… unless you'll be wanting to count the lasses. Don't think you should be making any threats now, should you?"

Sirius said nothing. Horatio smiled satisfactorily.

"Exactly. Now, we'll answer the questions you have, but I ain't making no guarantees or oaths."

A muscle in Sirius' jaw twitched, but when he spoke his voice was calm. "I heard you talking about that family… the Blacks. What do you know about them?"

Lily glanced at Sirius, alarmed. The Blacks? His family? There was silence as Horatio's brow furrowed. He looked at Sirius for a moment before a wide grin broke his face. "Now here I was thinkin' you wanted to know something about gold, or treasure, or booty. The Blacks? Why, that's common knowledge lad! You don't need to go makin' threats to find out who they are."

"I've heard of them," he said quickly. "I just… I just don't know exactly who they are."

Sirius' voice faltered. Lily had a sneaking suspicion that Horatio knew he was lying; all the same, he leaned back comfortably and began. "Aye. The _Noble_ House of Black," his mouth curled with disgust, and he spat on the ground beside him. Sirius flinched. "Noble me arse. Bunch o' filthy, no-good, low-down manatee-buggerin' swines, in my opinion. One of the richest families of Diagon, mate, and you don't want to be getting involved with them."

"Why not?" Sirius asked.

"They _say_ the Black family is the best thin' to happen to the Kingdom. Like _this_ with the Royal Family," he crossed his fingers and raised it slowly. "They used to be only a wealthy, influential family, but they've somehow risen up in rank and appointed themselves protectors of this land. They take what they call the scum of the earth and throw them into the dungeons of their castle… thieves, robbers, murderers… even pirates. They claim their first priority is the safety of the kin'dom, but we know better, aye we do." Angry murmurs broke across the table. "They're crazy for power, the Blacks. Some even say their ultimate plan is to take the throne from the Cates. Ambitious… cunning… and setting forth to seek the admiration of the people too _blind_ to see them for what they really arr."

Lily exchanged glances with Kitty. She wasn't quite sure how to take the information in. Perhaps they were a different family of Blacks. After all, the name wasn't too uncommon… but even as she thought it, Lily knew it wasn't true.

"Well, it seems to me," Sirius said coldly, "that all they're doing is putting wrongdoers in their rightful place – a concept I'm sure is completely foreign to you pirates, but nonetheless –"

"You don't know what you're talking about, son," Horatio said, shaking his head. "You may think us nothin' but filthy sea dogs, but we hear thin's that would make all your hair stand on end. I'll tell you a story – no, ol' Gibbs will tell ya. He likes to tell the story, don't you Gibby?"

A portly man with fair hair and watery blue eyes jumped up in his seat and nodded fervently. "Aye, that I do, Cap'n, that I do. I'll tell ye the story. And a mighty fine story it is too. I won' be wasting any time in tellin' it, and I do hope I do it justice-"

"Do carry on, Gibbs," Horatio sighed.

"Of course, Cap'n. See it 'appened a few years back. 'Twas a year of many storms and hurricanes, I remember it well. The Mayflower had some rough beatin's that year. There was a young lad, about twelve years o' age I reckon, whose father had run off t' be a pirate. Not surprisin'. Many men often cave t' the calling of the sea. Anyway, so this young lad's mother fell ill, so he set off on a journey t' find his father, who apparently had made a bit o' a name for 'imself as a pirate, an' was on the run – aren't we all? He sailed on a li'le wooden boat, and jumped ship t' ship, trying t' find this old buccaneer… an' eventually jumped the wrong ship… the Toujours Pur, which, o' course, belongs t' the Blacks.

Naturally, they assumed he was one o' us, locked him up in Ombra – where they live – and tortured 'im fer days, on the grounds tha' they were lookin' fer the whereabouts o' his other _dangerous_ pirate acquaintances. But we all know they really just have a thin' against us. Eventually they 'anged the poor boy… and even now his body sways back and forth behind the grounds o' the Black Castle, the noose still tied around his neck." His voice dropped to a whisper. "They say tha' he still haunts the seas, searchin' and wailin' for his father… and on nights when th' moon is big and bright, some even say they catch glimpses of his boat, floating gently and steadily along th' sea."

Nausea rolled around Lily's stomach, threatening to release the Butterbeer she'd just drunk. How could anyone be so terrible? Could Sirius, funny, cheerful, _good_ Sirius, possibly be related to people like that? She looked at him hard, as if trying to see something sinister about him that she hadn't noticed before, but all she saw was a very pale, dark-haired boy.

"Damn to the depths whatever man what thought of the hang," one of the men spat angrily, and the others let out noises of agreement.

"Me heart goes out to the mam," another murmured. "It ain't easy to lose a son, trust me on tha'."

Horatio snorted, "Aye. But I wouldn't hesitate to run the Blacks' son through with me sword. Just to teach his parents a lesson."

Sirius let out hacking noises, as though he'd choked on his spit. "Their – their son?"

"Oh yes," Horatio said, "they have a son. Didn't you know? In fact they have two, but the first was sent off to somewhere far, far away. Reckon they didn't want him anymore. After they sent the first one away, they decided to have another child but found they couldn't. The wife was too old to go into any sort of labor. Beats me why they wouldn't just bring the first son back. Instead, they adopted a young boy from an orphanage and it was probably one o' the only decent things they've ever done with their miserable lives. His birth name be Regulus, but he goes by another name now. They use him to do their dirty work; he heads all the attacks and arrests. In fact, he's here in Diagon I heard, staying at the castle. No doubt up to another one of their slimy tricks to take control of Parvahal."

He looked around the pub – which was slowly emptying – and dropped his voice to a whisper. "You don't want to fall into their trap, mate. Many have… all their men-at arms, their servants, their admirers, even the King himself, but he's an old fool anyway. They'll draw you in with their pretty faces, and their fancy words… but for fifteen years I've travelled the Seven Seas, and in that time, I've met enough liars, thieves, cheats, and people who want to eat me to know scoundrels when I see them."

It was silent as Horatio took a long swig of his drink. Lily felt nothing but overwhelming pity for Sirius, who was staring blankly at the window. It had started to rain heavily, but she paid no attention. His own parents had forgotten about him… they'd gotten another son to replace him, not even bothering to look for him…

"No use brooding over such topics," Horatio said suddenly, his cheerful voice strange in comparison to the dark, mysterious one he'd just been using. "I say we forgot about damn politics, and have a good time, eh? Drink up me hearties, yo ho!" he raised his bottle of rum and Lily realized with a start that he was slurring his words.

"I think it's time we left," Kitty said firmly. Glancing at the man beside her suspiciously, she pulled her purse closer to her body and rose from her seat. "Really."

She grabbed Sirius by the arm and he rose without a word. Lily stood too, smoothing down her skirt.

"Thank you," she said awkwardly, as Kitty and Sirius walked away. "Thank you for the… story."

"Anytime, love," Horatio winked.

She walked away hurriedly, trying to put as much distance between her and their roving eyes… only to walk right into Sirius. He'd stopped in his tracks, although Kitty was tugging on his sleeve.

"The name," he called back to the table. "You said the son goes by a different name now. What is it?"

Horatio raised his eyebrows at him. "He goes by Sergay now, I believe."

Sirius gave him a stiff nod, and began walking out of the pub, leaving Lily and Kitty behind. They looked at each other for a moment before hurrying after him, the drunken songs of the pirates behind them ringing in their ears.

_We pillage, we plunder, we rifle and loot._

_Drink up me 'earties, Yo Ho!_

_Yo Ho, Yo Ho! A pirate's life for me._

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><p><strong>AN:** It's a little short, isn't it? First off I'd just like to mention that I'm an idiot and I realized some things needed to be changed in the previous chapters for all this to work... so I changed a few things. They're little things, but I just thought you should know.

Second wow, thanks to you lovely reviewers! They make my _life_ I'm not even kidding. I just wanted to answer a few reviews so:

**xXjaziXx**: Hi wow thank you so much! You're so nice! Here's your chapter! xD And about the Sloan issue, I just can't bring myself to change it, it fits so well, and it's a common enough name so it's not plagiarism. Sorry about that! But it's alright, he doesn't show up a lot in the story =P

**Jannice Sace**: Hellloo again! Hmm... maybe James doesn't know he likes Lily yet =P And I think I cleared Lily's denial in this chapter lol. As for the other questions, you'll just have to wait and seeeeee! Thanks for reviewing!

**Jenna**: Hahaha omg you're so sweet x

Thanks to **Pointless Nostalgic**, the best beta to walk the planet. Thanks to everyone else for the lovely reviews! I'd love more *cough cough review or I'll kill everyone off in the next chapter cough cough*

_Next Chapter: The Arrival_


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